Facing the Shadows of the Past
by Aquila Aqua
Summary: In the aftermath his friends and family betraying him, Ash disappears only to become the champion of the Heiwa Region. With the new Pokemon Millennium Tournament being held there five years later, Ash will have to face the shadows of his so called friends in order to win the tournament once and for all. Takes place after XY & Z. Eventual Abilityshipping. Slow Updates.
1. Heiwa's Elite Four

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **This is my first time writing a 'Ash Betrayed' story so if it seems rushed or if there are any errors, I sincerely apologize.**

 **Pairings are Abilityshiping but I don't want to focus too much on the romance side but more of the battling side. Other pairings are uncertain for now.**

* * *

Far away from any other region lies the region of Heiwa. This particular region has sparked the interest of many regions due to its rich history and powerful Pokemon League. It is said that this league was built on the strength of the heroes who saved the region from the villainous Team Dawn who plunged the entire region on the darkness by waging war over the peaceful residents.

And now, they will get their chance to see for themselves what the region has to offer, for the first Pokemon Millennium Tournament is about to begin.

* * *

Over at the large stadium located on top of the tall mountain in the middle of the Heiwa region a large crowd had gathered for the annual Pokemon League tournament. Because of the small pool of challengers, challengers usually only need to gather eight badges to challenge the Elite Four of the Heiwa Region straight away. And this year, the league had a peculiar guest challenger.

"Who knew that this is what former champions do once they retire." A girl in her late teens with long wavy auburn hair and green eyes remarked to her fellow Elites as she gazed at the challenger on the other side of the tinted window of the waiting room. She was wearing a long sleevep aquamarine dress decorated with sequins and pearls. The dress was split open in the center in front, forming a tail behind her. She also wore matching aquamarine leggings and sparkly heels. She also has a pearl headpiece with a shell hanging in the center.

One of her fellow Elites glanced over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "Reika, it's not just any other former champion, it's Steven Stone, one of the strongest champions, next to Cynthia."

Reika raised an eyebrow back at him. "That is a very ironic statement, Daimen, considering the shipping between them."

Daimen was a man around Reika's age with short wavy red hair and grey-blue eyes. He was wearing a neat grey shirt with a white vest and brown cargo pants. Over them was a grey flowing robe which was decorated with white boarders and cloud patterns. He was also wearing dark combat boots.

"Reika, Daimen, you guys should be getting ready, not gossiping about the challenger." Arata, the leader of the Elite Four sighed. His red hair was spiked and has purple eyes. He was wearing an orange suit which was decorated with red, orange and yellow sequins and red boots. He nodded at the last Elite in the room. "Look at Muraku, he's already done and the both of you have yet to prepare your pokemon."

The last Elite, Muraku, returned the nod and resumed checking his pokemon. His hair was long jet black with white accents at each side of his head. His eyes were unique for they were purple-yellow. He was wearing a white shirt with a black velvet jacket which extends behind him. He was also wearing black velvet pants and dress shoes.

Reika and Daimen rolled their eyes but picked up their pokeballs and fastened them to their belts or placed them in the pockets of their costumes. Even so, they knew that Arata means well and just wants them to give their best first impression to everyone.

"Where's Red?" Muraku asked, breaking the silence.

"He's still at Kanto. We'll skip his introductions tonight and wait and see if the challenger does get past Reika. If he does, he'll make his appearance." Arata explained as they headed out of the door to the platforms where they will make their debut along with the challenger.

"Nice to know the confidence he has in you." Daimen joked as they stood on their respective platforms which are far away from each other and have smaller platforms surrounding them. They released their Pokemon on the smaller platforms so that they can provide the special effects when they rise.

* * *

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to the Heiwa Region's Eight Pokemon League!" The MC yelled into her mic. She was strangely familiar looking due to her long pink hair which was constantly changing styles in the past when she was stalking a certain trainer to steal his Pikachu. However, those were the days of the past and now, Jessie is an honorable member of Heiwa's Pokemon League's staff with her main jobs being the MC and referee.

"The challenger this year is no stranger to some of us. Give it up for Steven Stone! The former champion of Hoenn!" Jessie continued to yell into her mic. The platform on one side of the stadium rose, showing the ever presentable heir of Devon Corp. He offered a small smile to the crowd and waved. The crowd good-naturedly waved back and cheered on encouragements.

"And on this side, we have Heiwa's Elite Four!" Jessie waved her hand on the other side of the stage. One by one, the platforms rose although they were darkened. "With the temperament of the wind and strength of a hurricane, we present to you our favorite flying type specialist, Daimen!"

The crowd began to cheer wildly as the spotlight fell on Daimen. His flying type Pokemon sent their moves up of Air Slash and Gust in the air, creating the effect of winds around him. His cloak fluttered with the winds and he spun around, waving his hands to greet the crowds.

"And next up, a polite gentleman yet, hiding his full strength in the dark, our dark type specialist, Muraku!"

The spotlight next landed on Muraku who gave a polite wave and nod. His Pokemon sent out Shadow Balls and Dark Pulses in the air, shadowing his face every once in a while, creating the effect of a mysterious trainer.

"Up next, graceful as a wave but powerful as a tsunami, we have our favorite water specialist and Top Coordinator, Reika, the Mermaid of Heiwa!"

As the spotlight shone on Reika, her pokemon sent showers of water and bubbles in the air, creating a waterfall effect. Reika grinned and twirled around, waving at the crowd, the sequins and pearls on her dress creating the effect of waves.

"And last but not least, having the passion which ignites flames and the heart of a lion, we proudly present to you our leader of the Elites and former champion, Arata!"

Instead of having the spotlight shine on him, Arata's pokemon lighted up his platform with a series of Flamethrowers and Will-O-Wisp. This made the patterns on his suit look like real dancing around.

"And there you have it folks, our Elite Four of Heiwa!" Jessie paused and leaned over as Arata whispered something to her which made her slightly disgruntled. "And unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, our Champion Red will be absent tonight."

This elicited a series of groans from the crowds. But Jessie waved her hand with a smile. "However, if the challenger does, and I mean ' _if_ ', get past the Elite Four, he will grace us with his presence and take on the challenger!"

This seemed to cheer up the crowds. All of the Elite Four's platforms, except for Daimen's, were lowered back down. Daimen recalled his pokemon and met Steven at the center of the battling field.

"Welcome to the Heiwa Pokemon League. We are honored to have a respectable trainer in our mist." Daimen grinned easily, slipping into his customary greeting for all challengers as he is the first Elite they face.

"The pleasure is all mine." Steven returned. "I can see that the concept of a dramatic entrance is not lost here."

"Exactly." Daimen's grin only grew. "We aim to show our strength from the start and we never portray ourselves differently. May our battle be one to be remembered."

They shook hands and returned to their respective sides. Jessie took her spot at the side of the field as referee and raised her hands. "The six on six battle between the challenger, Steven and Elite Four Daimen will now begin. Both sides are allowed substitutions and the battle will be over when all of one side's pokemon are defeated. Bring out your pokemon!"

"Aggron, to me!" Steven sent out his first Pokemon.

"Let the winds guide you, Noivern!" Daimen sent out his.

"Battle begin!"


	2. Red's Past

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

* * *

Far away in Kanto a few days later, on the roof of the Battle Frontier HQ in Saffron City, the person who was once Ash, but now known as Red, tilted his head when he heard the ringing of his Xtransceiver. He had wild black hair which covered his right eye and was wearing his signature red cap over it. He wore a simply blue vest with a grey shirt underneath it and black pants. He also wore casual sneakers.

"Aren't you going to pick it up?" Pikachu asked. Thanks to is aura, Red managed to understand him.

"It's probably updates on the challenger." Red shrugged, taking his time to answer it. "Did you guys beat the challenger?"

" _No, he already beat Reika. And it would do you good to answer our calls immediately instead of taking your time."_ Arata growled as his face appeared on the screen. In the background, Red could make out a scoff from Daimen and spotted Reika rolling her eyes in the corner of the screen.

Internally, Red also rolled his eyes. Sure, Arata is a great trainer and a good friend ever since he stepped foot onto the Heiwa region. But his strictness was annoying at times. Nevertheless, Red respected him for it for his strictness in training and conduct which made them one of the strongest Pokemon Leagues.

 _"So, if you don't mind, please make your way back here in case the challenger by some miracle or skill get pass me. You have two weeks, tops."_ Arata continued.

"Who is this challenger that managed to get pass Reika and the others?" Red frowned curiously.

 _"Unsurprisingly, a former champion and one whom you might personally know, Steven Stone."_

Red jerked his head up. "Steven? I didn't think that he would come all the way to Heiwa to take on the league."

 _"Don't know, don't care. All I know is that even with my type advantage, he's smart enough to overcome that so I have to step up my game."_ Arata shrugged. _"And I expect you to be back, whether he reaches you or not."_

"Alright, alright. I'll be back as soon as I finish the negotiations with Scott." Red sighed and hung up. "Man, of all people…"

"At least it's not one of the traitors." Pikachu snide. Red clenched his fist and nodded in agreement. It has been five years since he was betrayed by his 'friends' and 'family', but it always seemed to be just like yesterday.

* * *

 _"Man, we lost again." Ash sighed as he walked through Pallet Town to get to his house. Pikachu was perched on his shoulder like usual and nodded sadly. They had been very close to winning this time around for they had reached the finals of a Pokemon League for the first time. Even so, Alain was too strong for them. However, they lost, fair and square, so they did not hold it against Alain, especially since it was an intense yet fun match._

 _"We're back!" Ash called once he stepped into his home._

 _"Ash!" Delia greeted him and Pikachu with a hug. "You're back! Your friends are waiting for you in the dining room." She said, pushing him in the direction of said room. Inside, he was surprise to see Brock, Misty, Tracey, Max, May and Dawn._

 _"Guys! What brings you here?" Ash greeted them warmly. But strangely, they were quiet and had forced smiles. "Guys?"_

 _"Ash, I asked them to come here for a purpose." Delia said quietly as she stood behind Brock's chair, struggling to pick her next words._

 _Sensing this, Brock helped her by starting. "Ash, we saw your performance at the Lumiose Conference. And it's hard for us to say this, but we have come to a similar conclusion."_

 _"What's that?" Ash asked carefully, dreading what was about to come._

 _"Well, you see." Delia took over, rubbing her hands together nervously, knowing that her son would not take this well. "After all this time, you only managed to get to the finals of a pokemon league after years of trying. So I think…" She took a deep breath to calm herself for her next words. "I think it's best that you give up your dream and stay home with me."_

 _Ash and Pikachu stood shell shocked at her words. Here was his mother, his biggest supporter all this time, telling him to give up on his dreams…_

 _"She's right, Ash." Brock continued. "Look, I know that this is hard for you to listen, but you have to face reality."_

 _"Even if you challenge another league, you'll only fail." Misty sniffed, turning up her nose at him and Pikachu._

 _"Best that you quit and allow those who are truly strong take their place at the top, weakling. That way, we can stop pretending that you are strong when all you are is a failed trainer." Max sneered._

 _Ash and Pikachu could only stare at them in shock, not wanting to believe what they were saying but apparently they were not done for May continued the triad._

 _"Ash, please listen to them. I for one am thankful that you helped me stand on my feet when I first started out on my journey, but even I think you'll be better off being at home with Ms. Ketchum. Stop kidding yourself with your fantasy of being a Pokemon Master."_

 _Dawn did not say anything but nodded in agreement with May's words._

 _Dumbstruck, Ash only stumbled backwards. "I need time to think." As soon as those words were out of his mouth, he ran upstairs, locking himself in his room._

 _"Pika?" Pikachu gazed at him sadly. He badly wanted to zap them in the dining room but he knew that he had to stay with Ash and be by his side._

 _"Pikachu, I'm going to prove them wrong." Ash suddenly said, filled with strong determination, startling his starter. "I lied to them just now when I said that I wanted to think. I've already made up my mind. I'm going to go out there and prove them wrong."_

 _"Pika!" Pikachu pumped his fist in agreement._

 _"First thing's first, we need to get everything we need and get out of here with everyone." Ash mentioned as he began to change into darker clothes: a black hoodie jacket and dark pants. And by 'everyone' he meant all of his pokemon at Professor Oak's lab. He tossed a few things out of his bag, mainly Misty's lure and a few other mementoes from his so-called friends. In their place, he placed all of his money savings and remaining clothes._

 _"Come on Pikachu." Ash whispered as he opened up the window, jumping to the tree that grew just outside his window. Pikachu quickly followed him out. As soon as they climbed down the tree, they quietly ran towards the lab, thankful that it was already dark so no one saw them._

 _Once they arrived at the lab, Ash paused and turned to Pikachu. "Round up everyone for me. I'm going to try to convince Professor Oak of what my…" The words died in his throat. But Pikachu understood. He patted his trainer's shoulder comfortingly and ran off in the direction of the corral._

 _Taking a deep breath, Ash knocked on the door. However, much to his surprise, it was Gary who answered it, not Professor Oak._

 _"Ash?" Gary raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What are you doing here at this time of the day? Wait, never mind that." He suddenly held up his hands, forestalling the Pikachu trainer. He could tell that something was wrong with his childhood friend and rival so instead of questioning him now, he decided to wait for his grandfather to ask those questions._

 _"Sorry Gary." Ash rubbed the back of his head apologetically. "I need to see Professor Oak. It's urgent."_

 _"Sure." Gary shrugged, letting him in._

 _"By the way, when did you come back to Pallet Town?" Ash asked curiously._

 _"Just this morning." Gary shrugged. "I knew that you'll be coming back today as well but Grandpa told me that you'll be back late so I figured coming over to visit you tomorrow. By the way, I saw the Lumiose Conference and read the reports of Team Flare. You were great in both instances."_

 _Ash instantly froze in his steps and turned a glare at him. "Are you trying to sugarcoat my failures!? I know the truth, I'm a failed trainer and I will never become a Pokemon Master!"_

 _Gary stood dumbstruck. What in the world made Ash think like that?_

 _Apparently he was not the only one for Professor Oak, who was just around the corner, heard every word Ash said. Without warning, he went up to the trainer, startling both boys._

 _"Ash, my boy, why would you think like that?" He demanded. Left with no choice, Ash told them what transpired just now. Needless to say, both researchers were horrified and disbelieved at what he told them._

 _"I cannot believe it." Professor Oak shook his head sadly. He had known Delia for a very long time and to hear that she no longer wants to support her son's dream was a huge shock for him._

 _"Grandpa…" Gary trailed off, not sure of how to react. He had not known Ash's former travelling companions very well, but even so, he thought that they were always supportive of Ash's goal just as he was supportive of theirs. How wrong he was._

 _"So, I'm leaving." Ash sniffed. "I don't know where I'm going or if I'll ever come back here, but I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to prove them wrong. It may take years, but I don't care."_

 _Professor Oak exchanged glances with his grandson and forced a smile. "Well, if that's what you want to do, then we won't stop you. Know that you at least have two people who are still behind you."_

 _Professor Oak straightened up. "I presume that you're going to bring all of you pokemon?"_

 _"That's the plan." Ash nodded. "Pikachu's rounding them all up now."_

 _"Right." He nodded. "Then you're going to need it." He nodded at Gary who nodded and went inside one of the rooms to retrieve the thing his grandfather wanted._

 _"As you know that under the Pokemon League rules, all trainers are allowed to carry a maximum number of six pokemon. If you want to carry more than that, you're going to need a special certificate from an authorized personnel of the League like me to do so." Professor Oak explained. "I need your Pokedex."_

 _Ash handed over said item just as Gary came back with a chip. Professor Oak inserted the chip into the Pokedex and did some configuration to it before giving it back. "There. You're all set. You can carry all of you pokemon without any legal problems now. Do you want to stay for the night before leaving?"_

 _"No." Ash shook his head. "It won't be long before they find out that I'm gone. I want to leave before they do so."_

 _"Good luck Ashy boy." Gary smirked. "Your pokemon's pokeballs are in the third room to the left. If anyone asks, we'll say that your pokemon ran away and you did not come here."_

 _"That's not a believable story." Ash raised an eyebrow._

 _"But if they can't prove we're lying, it will be believable." Gary's smirk only grew._

 _"Point taken." Ash said after some thought._

 _"Anyway, if you don't know where to go from here, you can ask Scott." Professor Oak suggested as Ash gathered up his Pokeballs. "He's asked for you a few times before and I think he mentioned once that he was hoping that you'll go to a region but I forgot what the region is called."_

 _"That's fine. I'll check with him." Ash shrugged and went out to the corral. His pokemon were gathered, some of them sympathetic for him while others were clearly angry at what his former friends said to him. He offered a weak smile and recalled all of them except for Charizard._

 _"Good luck, Ash. May your future continue to be bright." Professor Oak wished him._

 _"Thank you Professor, for everything you and Gary did for me tonight." Ash nodded back and flew off on Charizard._

* * *

"…Which leads us to here." Red hummed as he and Pikachu headed back to the conference room in the building. "Scott recommended us to the Heiwa region, we travelled around, collecting badges and new friends, stopping Team Dawn from rising again and became the Champion. Little did we know that Scott intentionally sent us there because he and Brandon were also from Heiwa and wanted us to help stop the war from happening again."

"And we are grateful for that." Scott grinned as he came up to him, having heard what he said.

"Scott." Red smirked at him. "We may have to speed up the negotiations. We have a challenger that's wiping my Elites off their feet."

Scott only let out his jolly laugh and nodded. "Sure thing. We're just about done here." He pushed open the doors of the conference room, revealing the seven Frontier Brains of the Kanto branch and the six Frontier Brains of the Sinnoh branch. Yes, six. The final Frontier Brain of the Sinnoh branch is none other than Paul. Even Red had been surprised by the development.

But apparently, while he had been working on becoming Heiwa's Champion, Paul had conquered both the Sinnoh branch and the Kanto branch after defeating Brandon once and for all. After that, Scott offered him the position of Frontier Brain in the Sinnoh branch, having seen his potential and his change in attitude towards his pokemon. And unlike Ash, Paul accepted. So now, he commands the sixth facility of the Battle Frontier in Sinnoh, the Battle Stadium and the title Stadium Master.

"So, continuing where we left off, are we all in agreement of opening a new branch in Heiwa?" Scott asked his employees. "All those who are in agreement, raise your hand."

After counting the votes, he nodded. "All are in agreement to the proposal. And all those in agreement to have Anabel transferred to Heiwa, raise your hands!"

This proposal shocked Ash for this was the first he heard of it. Sure, he had no problem with it, especially since it was Anabel. During his journey in Heiwa, she had dropped by occasionally and was a great source of encouragement and comfort for him. They had grown closer as friends, but he had no idea that Scott and the rest were plotting to get them together. Even Paul had been roped into it but the only reason why he had agreed to the plan was because he knew that everyone would not leave him alone until he did.

"Well, we are all in agreement." Scott said too cheerfully and turned to Red. "Sorry we didn't run this pass you but this was a last minute arrangement. Anabel had requested to be transferred over to Heiwa since we might not be able to find any trainer strong enough to fit the criterial to become a frontier brain yet and since Heiwa is not the most desirable visitation place just yet."

Red turned to Anabel who nodded shyly. Red merely smiled and nodded. "I have no problems with that but I have to run it through my Elites first even though I'm sure they will agree. Officializing will take a while though since we did not discuss it beforehand."

"Take your time." Scott waved his hand dismissively, though inwardly, he was jumping for joy. He had finally found a way to get Ash and Anabel together despite Anabel ironically being the one to suggest the transfer in the first place. Anyone can see how much she cares for him and Scott was not one to stand in the way of their happiness even if they cannot see it yet.

"If that's all we have to discuss, I have to go now. My duties as Champion and all." Red sighed.

"We understand." Spencer answered for all of them. "We will see you and your friends at the Millennium Tournament."

"You better give us a good challenge if any of us come against you." Paul said sternly.

"You bet." Red smirked and left.


	3. Red vs Steven

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

 **Ages:**

 **Red-22**

 **Arata, Muraku-19**

 **Daimen, Reika-18**

 **Anabel-20**

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the night we have been waiting for!" A different MC this time, James yelled into his mic as he greeted the crowd. "For the past few weeks, we have seen the challenger Steven bring down one Elite after another. Tonight, we will have the Champion's challenge! Will Steven be able to take the title of Heiwa's Champion? Or will Red retain his title for the fifth year!?"

The crowd was roaring uncontrollably at this point. It was very rare for anyone to reach the champion, much less beat them. During Arata's time as Champion, he had managed to retain his title until his third year where he lost to Red. And then he had retained his title until now. But it was mostly because most challengers could not get past his Elites.

In his personal waiting room, Red took a deep breath and looked around at his pokemon that he will be using that night: Pikachu, Noctowl, Sceptile, Buizel, Leavanny, and Hawlucha. It was a strange line up with no fixed strategy, but that was fine with him. He had faith in his Pokemon and that's what matters.

He had changed his attire to something more formal and flashy like his Elites. He had foregone his red cap and had his hair wilder than before. He wore a long charcoal grey coat which came with a hood. The coat also has black borders and the logo of Heiwa's Pokemon League. He also wore white shirt and pants with black lines.

As he walked over to his platform, Arata jogged over with a note. "Red, I just got a message from Mr. Goodshow. He wants you to announce the Millennium Tournament after the Champion's Challenge."

Red took the note and scanned it over. He nodded and handed it back. "Got it."

Arata looked around and nodded in approval at his Pokemon which were positioned on the smaller platforms around Red's platform. "Show him what the Champion of Heiwa is made of."

"I will." Red nodded and became lost in thought. "I just hope that he won't figure out who the person the Champion of Heiwa used to be."

Arata's face softened as his pokemon gazed at him sympathetically. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It doesn't matter. Look, I know that you don't want to be seen as Ash Ketchum anymore, but that is the person whom we all know despite your cover as Red the Champion. How he takes it, I'm sure that he won't antagonize you for it. And I believe he is a reliable person who won't spill your secret."

Pikachu nodded in agreement, hoping onto his shoulder and nuzzling against his cheek comfortingly. His other pokemon also nodded, reminding him that no matter if he is Ash or Red, they will always be by his side.

"Alright. Thanks." Red grinned, flipping up his hood. Arata stepped back as the platform began to rise.

"The time has come! Our Champion Challenge battle begins now!" James screamed as Steven's platform rose first. "On this side, we have our challenger Steven who has for the first time defeated all of the Elite Four, a feat only our Champion Red has ever done! And on the other side, we have none other than our Champion Red!"

The roaring of the crowds became defending as Red's pokemon sent their attacks out, colliding above Red. This created a massive spectrum of fireworks which the crowd enjoyed. With one hand, Red flipped off his hood and raised his fist up.

"Welcome everyone to the Champion Challenge Battle of Heiwa's Pokemon League Conference!" He greeted when James passed the mic to him. "As all of you know, I am Champion Red. I warmly welcome everyone for coming here. Enjoy our battle! I can tell that this will truly be one to be remembered!"

He handed back the mic to James and met Steven on the field for the customary handshake.

"It is a great honor to battle you here today, Champion Red." Steven greeted him and gave him a knowing look, adding quietly. "And it has been a long time since we last saw each other at Kalos, Ash."

Pikachu stilled on his trainer's shoulders. But Red froze for a second but turned away. "I am not surprised that you figured it out this quick. But I ask of you to remain it a secret. The world is not ready to know that the naïve, weak trainer of Ash Ketchum is actually Champion Red of the Heiwa Region."

Steven stared at the back of the Pikachu trainer as he retreated back to his side of the field. This was no longer the free spirited trainer he knew. Instead, he was a seasoned trainer hardened by whatever happened in the past. Nevertheless, he returned to his side of the field and got ready. Answers can be obtained later. For now, he had to focus on the match.

James saw that they were in position and raised his hand. "Alright folks, the six on six battle between the challenger Steven and Champion Red is about to begin. Only the challenger is allowed substitutions. Trainers, call out your pokemon!"

"To me, Skamory!"

"You're up Levanny!"

Up in the Elite Four's viewing room, Daimen raised an eyebrow. "That's a weird match up. But then again, what should we expect from Red?"

"True." Muraku nodded in agreement with a small smile. "I have no doubt that he has a plan. If not, he'll make up something as it goes."

"That's the battling style of Champion Red." Arata sighed but there was a smile on his face. Even Reika leaned forward in anticipation.

Down on the field, James brought down his hand. "Champion Red gets the first move. Begin!"

"Levanny, Energy Ball!" Red called out. Levanny immediately obeyed and fired the Energy Ball from its mouth at Skamory who could not dodge. But given that it is not very effective against Skamory, it did not land a scratch on it.

"Skamory, use Aerial Ace!" Steven now ordered. Red instantly sharpened his gaze as Skamory flipped in the air and was covered in white streaks before seemingly disappearing as it sped up.

"X-Scissor, to your right!" Red called when he spotted the blur to Levanny's right. It barely managed to block Skamory with X-Scissors.

"Use Toxic!"

Red's eyes became wide when the attack hit close range, inflicting the status of poison on Levanny. Levanny pushed off Skamory and jumped back unsteadily.

"Levanny, are you alright?" Red asked concernedly, Pikachu shouting encouragement beside him. Levanny forced itself to nod and gave him a thumbs up despite the purple blush on its face and its breaths coming out short. Even so, Red knew that it could keep going. "Energy Ball! Back to back!"

This time, Levanny produced multiple Energy Balls and fired them at Skamory.

"Bat them away with Steel Wing." Steven calmly ordered. Skamory followed through that order and batted away the Energy Balls with its metallic wings. But what Steven did not anticipate is the pale green streaks vibrating down on Skamory.

* * *

"He was using Energy Ball to lower Skamory's Sp. Defense." Reika noted with a knowing grin. "Anyone want to guess which move he's aiming for?"

The Daimen and Muraku only exchanged smirks at this, having seen this strategy once before during the Champion Challenge between Red and Arata five years ago. Arata rolled his eyes and stood up.

"I'm going to get some coffee."

"You're not going to watch the remainder of the match?" Reika raised an eyebrow.

"He's got Skamory in the bag. Whether Levanny can last through the poison with Steven's next pokemon is the challenge." Arata shrugged. "Then again, he still has five more pokemon after that."

The others only shared smirks, knowing that their Champion can do what they cannot do.

* * *

"Levanny, String Shot! You know what to do after that." Red ordered, wanting to finish this battle quickly before Levanny was done in by poison. Levanny followed through the order and shot out the sticky web at Skamory, making sure to wrap up its wing joints.

"Use Steel Wing to cut through the web! Hurry!" Sensing the urgency in its trainer's voice, Skamory's wings became metallic and began sawing through the webs. On the other side of the field, Levanny was standing still with its antennas glowing, clearly charging up a Solar Beam.

"Fire away!"

Steven's eyes became wide as Levanny fired the Solar Beam at Skamory just as it managed to cut through the last web but could not dodge. As the Solar Beam dissipated, Skamory was lying on the ground, knocked out.

"Skamory is unable to battle, Levanny wins this round." James declared.

Steven quietly returned Skamory, thanking it. He observed Levanny and nodded his head in understanding as he figured out Red's strategy. "You purposely used Energy Ball to lower Skamory's Sp. Defense. Solar Beam would not be very effective under normal circumstances. But in this case, Skamory was vulnerable to it because of the Energy Ball barge."

Red tiled his head, revealing his right eye slightly as though daring Steven to come at them with everything he's got. "Let's resume the battle."

"Challenger Steven, call out your next pokemon."

"Alright." Steven shrugged. "To me, Claydol!"

Red eyed Levanny carefully, noting that Levanny would not last much longer out there. But as though sensing its trainer's worry, Levanny shook its head and gave him a firm look. Red relented to his pokemon's request and nodded at James to continue.

"Let the battle continue!"

"Earth Power!"

Claydol's body began to glow gold as the ground cracked underneath Levanny.

"String Shot!" Red ordered frantically. With the help of the powerful sticky web, Levanny caught Claydol and used it as an anchor to haul itself out of the crack. But it was clear that it was nearing its limit for its ability Swarm was activated. Levanny only has one more shot before it fainted.

"Claydol, finish it with Extrasensory." Steve commanded.

Levanny gritted its teeth as it was flung up by the mysterious psychic move but this was the chance Red and it were waiting for.

"X-Scissors! Give it all you got!" Red roared. Using String Shot on one of the walls to maneuver itself midair, it went flying towards Claydol with its glowing arms crossed together. As Levanny collided into Claydo, there was a huge explosion which hid both pokemon. Red and Steven tensed, waiting for the smoke to clear.

But when it did, both pokemon were down with swirls in their eyes.

"Both pokemon are unable to battle. It's a double knockout." James crossed his hands.

Steven and Red recalled their pokemon, thanking them for their hard work. Their eyes hardened. Steven was already down two pokemon while Red still had five. Even so, they knew that they cannot lower their guard at this point.

* * *

"Oh wow." Reika said a little while later. Both Red and Steven were clearly giving their all, as evident by the intense matches. After the double knockout, they had sent out Hawlucha and Metagross respectively. But Hawlucha had succumbed to Metagross's Meteor Mash and Zen Headbutt combo.

After that, Sceptile had gone next. Soon, it turned to a Mega Evolution battle with Red surprising everyone by revealing that he had a Mega Fastener with the Mega Stone being disguised in the cloak fastener. It was a very close match but in the end, Sceptile pulled a close win with Leaf Blade. However, instead of continuing on with it, Red opt to forfeit it and continue with Buizel since Sceptile was too weak to continue. And Steven summoned out Cradily.

From here, it was a continuous seesaw battle with the both of them down to their final pokemon: Aggron and Pikachu.

"It's hard to tell who's going to win, but if I had to bet, I'd say Red." Arata said, calmly sipping on his coffee.

"That's for sure." Daimen nodded in agreement. "Steven is strong; I'll give him that. But, Red's potential is unlimited."

"Look!" Reika pointed down at the field as Pikachu dodged Aggron's Iron Tail by spinning around using Quick Attack. It then used Thunderbolt on the field to make rocks fly up and then Iron Tail to send them towards Aggron. While it was distracted deflecting the rocks with Dragon Claw, Pikachu landed the finishing move of Thunder.

"…He did it." Muraku broke the silence.

"Yup." Arata grinned with a nod.

* * *

Down at the field, Steven and Red met for a handshake.

"That was an amazing battle, Red. I haven't had one like this ever since I relinquished my title back to Wallace." Steven accepted his loss graciously.

"…Me too." Red nodded. "I know that you have questions, but I was hoping that you would wait until the Millennium Tournament to get them. I have no intention of satisfying your curiosity now."

Steven blinked but accepted this. Red gestured at James and took the mic. Planting on a smile, he raised his hand to get the attention of the crowd. "Residents of the Heiwa Region, it is a great pleasure for me to tell you that the Pokemon League has decided host its one and only Millennium Tournament here in the Heiwa Region!"

Roars of shock and disbelieve rang out through the stadium and from the homes of the people watching the match. But Red continued on. "Yes, you heard right. The Pokemon League has decided to hold the Millennium Tournament here on Mt. Harmony. The tournament will be held within two months from now. Invitations for the participations to the League officials such as the Champions, Elite Four and Gym Leaders have been sent out but there will be more for potential trainers to participate at the invitation of the League officials. I hope to see all of you again here in two months for the tournament."

* * *

 **So I'm not good in battles and I'm sorry that I did not describe Red and Steven's battle fully.**


	4. Celebrations and Work

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

 **I did not expect to complete a new chapter so quickly. But once I get to the Millennium Tournament, I'm going to need more time to think up of how the battles will go. So, updates might be slower then.**

* * *

As soon as he could, Red fled from the Pokemon Center from all the reporters and fans back to the stadium where his Elites were waiting.

"Hey Red." Daimen greeted with his Salamance and Pidgeot beside him. Arata and Muraku had their Charizard and Hydregon out as well. Like every year, after the Mt. Harmony Conference ends, they would gather back at the stadium to head back to Red's secret hideout at the other side of the mountain. Reika hopped on Charizard with Arata while Red got on Salamance. Daimen and Muraku hopped on their respective rides.

They flew off and circled around the mountain to a small cavern in the wall. The cavern was actually an entrance to a massive cave. There was a bar on one side of the cave and a meeting table in the middle as well as a TV on the wall. Red's personal living quarters was a room far off on the other side of the cave. Beside it was several other guest room for his Elites in case they wished to crash there instead of heading back to their respective areas they are in charge of. Further into the cave was a natural forest which makes a great training and resting ground for the pokemon.

The group sent out the rest of their pokemon to head off into the forest to rest while they headed to the bar.

"To Red!" Arata called out a toast with his Champaign. "For winning the Champion's Challenge and retaining his title for another year!"

"To Red!" The rest cheered.

"Thanks guys." Red grinned. He winked at Pikachu who winked back and reached behind a cupboard. "But, if you guys remember, there is always something we do to the Elites who lost against the challenger."

There was an elicit of groans but they could not go against the tradition they started when Red became the Champion. Pikachu soon reemerged with the bottle of strong brandy Red kept specially for this occasion.

"Do we have to?" Reika whined. Normally, she did not have to drink it because challengers usually do not get past Muraku. "And to remind you, we're underage."

"That did not stop you guys from making me drink this twice during Red's second and third year." Daimen joked as he poured out a glass for each of them.

"And that did not stop us from going up against Team Dawn when we were what? Ten, Eleven?" Muraku commented offhandedly as he took his glass.

"Muraku, please don't." Arata pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't want to go back there tonight."

"He's right." Red nudged the dark type specialist. "Look, I know that the Team Dawn era is not a good time for all of you, which is why, tonight will only be a night of celebrations and work."

Reika and Daimen groaned at that. "Why work?"

"It's still early, so we can work a bit on the Millennium Tournament's outsider trainers' invitation. That way, we don't have to rush it once we are done with the post conference paperwork." Red pointed out and nodded at the glasses in their hands. "Now guys?"

They sighed and looked at their glasses reluctantly but rules were rules. They drank it down in one gulp. Reika instantly gagged while Arata had to lean on the bar to steady himself from the onslaught of the taste of the brandy. Daimen had little trouble swallowing it down while Muraku closed his eyes and rubbed his head.

"See, that wasn't so hard." Red said cheerfully. After a few more glasses of the milder Champaign, they gathered at the meeting table. Red took out some of the documents relating to the tournament and distributed it among the Elites.

"Ok, so the League is going to handle the sub-stadiums and accommodations, so we only need to oversee the construction and the invitation of outside trainers." Red told them. Activating his laptop, he displayed the current list of participating League officials on the TV.

"I did not announce the full list just now though. Scott managed to get the Frontier Brains in and the Elite Four of Alola had the Trial Captains and Island Kahunas invited but there is no absolute confirmation that they will participate in the Tournament."

They read through it but Red froze at the Kanto Gym Leaders section. Pikachu saw what made his trainer freeze and sparks flew out of his cheek. Arata frowned and scanned through the list, stopping at the Cerulean City Gym Leader's name.

"Oh…that so called friend of yours will be there."

Reika let out a snort. "You mean that Water Master wannabe."

"Not just her." Daimen narrowed his eyes as he leaned in closer. "Look at who is the Pewter Gym Leader."

They followed his gaze and frowned. On it was Brock's name, not Forrest. It was not that they had anything against Forrest, but they were fairly certain that Forrest was supposed to be the official gym leader since Brock was supposedly studying to become a Pokemon Doctor.

"I wonder why it is Brock being the gym leader and not his brother. It's too suspicious." Muraku narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know and I don't care." Red suddenly spoke in a hard voice, startling most of them. "All I know is that I'm going to hit the whole group of the traitors here in this tournament."

The Elites exchanged glances and smirked. Arata gave Red a pat on his shoulder. "And we will help with that. It also helps that there will be a major Pokemon Contest and Showcase during the period of the tournament which I will be in charge of organizing. I am fairly certain that two particular coordinators will not be able to resist the opportunity."

"So I get to humiliate them?" Reika perked up.

"Sure." Red nodded with a sardonic grin.

"Guys, look at this." Muraku passed out the list of potential trainers the League is already planning to invite. "Max is on the list."

Red immediately snatched the list and smirked. "It says in his qualifications that he won the Ever Grand Conference but Sidney defeated him in a one-sided match during his Elite Challenge."

"No wonder." Daimen snorted as he recalled reading about it. "I remember reading up on the forums and some people said that Max was bragging too much about being the champion during the match that Sidney got fed up with him and defeated all of his Pokemon when he was bragging."

Red and Pikachu exchanged looks before bursting out laughing. Arata gave Daimen a thumbs up. He knew that he intentionally said that to take Red's mind off the awful memories of the betrayal that were surfacing.

"By the way, Red, you haven't told us the results of the negotiations with Scott." Muraku remembered.

"Oh, Scott is going to go ahead with the plan to set up a new branch of the Battle Frontier here in Heiwa. And Anabel will be transferring here."

Arata's head shot up in surprise. "Anabel? I didn't know about that."

"It was a last minute thing that he did not get a chance to discuss with me before. But I had no problems with it." Red sighed tiredly. Pikachu and Arata exchanged knowing looks while the others looked on in confusion until it clicked in Reika's mind.

"Is Anabel the lady who was travelling with Red a majority of the time when he was conquering the gyms here?"

"Yup." Arata nodded with sly grin. "She had to leave before the final confrontation against Team Dawn though. Pity because she missed out on seeing Red becoming the Champion."

"…Those two sound close." Daimen said awkwardly.

"Anyway," Red cleared his throat. "We will need to prepare the paperwork to approve the transfer. But that can be after the tournament. In the meantime, we only have to focus on our regular duties and the invitation list. Although, I think it will be fast. Our selection pool is smaller than other regions. We will also take turns monitoring the construction at Mt. Harmony while training to become stronger."

"Alright, boss." Daimen stretched from his seat. They continued discussing several trainers to be invited. After an hour or so, one by one, they got up and headed to their respective rooms to crash for the night. And so, only Muraku and Red were left.

"You should go to sleep." Red mentioned to him. "Professor Darcy would not be happy if she found out you were staying up late."

"I will." Muraku reassured him. "I just wanted to check on something." He scrolled through the current participant's list and paused at the Mahogany Town Gym Leader. "Mia."

Red smiled and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll see her at the tournament. I'm not surprise that she worked her way up to take Pryce's place when he retired."

Muraku nodded quietly as he stared at the profile photo of his twin sister. During Arata's time as Champion, she was originally the ice type specialist of the Elite Four. But shortly after Red became the champion, she and Muraku got into a major disagreement which led to her resignation from the Elite Four and left Heiwa. Hench, Arata had to step in and took her spot in the Elite Four.

Those who kept in contact with her knew that she had travelled all the way to Johto and was training under Pryce to become his successor. And apparently, she had.

* * *

 _In Pewter City, Kanto_

"A toast! To Brock and Misty for being invited to the Millennium Tournament!" Tracey cheered as he, May, Dawn, and Max toasted for their two friends. They were currently celebrating the admission of the two said gym leaders to the Millennium Tournament at one of the restaurants of Pewter Cit.

"Thanks guys." Misty said, pretending to be humble about it. She then added airily. "Me being invited is natural, since I am a gym leader and all."

"Me too." Brock smirked. "I have to admit, this tournament will be a nice place to woe the ladies with my skills, especially since I don't have to compete with that gym leader wannabe brother of mine."

"Just be careful or Crogrunk would stick a Poison Jab at you." Max jested, leading everyone to burst out laughing.

"Very funny. I wonder why I never got rid of that meddling Pokemon." Brock grumbled.

"Anyway, all that aside, are you going to participate as well, Max?" Dawn enquired.

"Of course." Max bragged. "I won the Ever Grand Conference so I will definitely be invited. It's just that they haven't sent out the invitations. If only I won against Sidney, I would have become the Champion of Hoenn and automatically allowed to participate."

"Well, at least you won, unlike that weakling brat of a trainer." May sneered. This got everyone laughing.

"I bet he is still travelling around, trying to win leagues but failing all the time." Tracey laughed unkindly.

"I bet he's still failing that we won't even see him in the tournament." Max boasted.

"It's too bad that his Pokemon had to run away though." Misty grumbled, stuffing more food in her mouth. "Especially since I wanted Totodile since I was supposed to be its rightful owner. But they just vanished into thin air!"

"I'm sure that Professor Oak and Gary had something to do with it. The fact that the weakling's pokemon ran away with their Pokeballs is too unbelievable." Tracey fumed. When they had confronted the Oaks, they denied knowing anything. And despite him continuing to work for Professor Oak, he can tell that the professor and his grandson were acting more cool towards him. However, because he cannot prove anything, he could not confront them about it.

"Never mind that." Dawn clapped her hand in an attempt to cheer them up. "No need to worry, we won't see Ash Ketchum ever again! So cheers! We will never have to deal with his fantasy of becoming a Pokemon Master again!"

"Cheers!"

How wrong they were. For Ash Ketchum has been reborn as the Champion of Heiwa. And he is looking forward to his revenge at the Millennium Tournament.

* * *

 _In the Unova League HQ, Unova_

"Champion Iris, there is someone wishing to see you." One of the guards of the league told her as he entered her office. Her Fraxure which was once the baby Axew was resting at the corner of the room

"Hm, who is it?" Iris grumbled. She was not in her best moods that day. Despite becoming the Champion of Unova in a surprising turn of events, she was dissatisfied with the amount of paperwork she has to do and she could no longer travel freely as before. Adding salt to the wound was the fact that a certain hot blooded kid trainer disappeared and no one knows where he is now and what was he doing.

"It's one of the Striaton City Gym Leaders, Cilan."

This made Iris look up, her bad mood disappearing quickly at the mention of her friend's name. "What are you waiting for? Send him in!"

The guard complied and soon enough, the green haired gym leader came inside with a smile.

"It's been a long time, Iris."

"Cilan!" Iris greeted her longtime friend happily. Fraxure came over and happily greeted him as well. "What brings you here, not that I'm not glad to see you."

"Oh, it's about the Millennium Tournament." Cilan whipped out an envelope containing his invitation. "I know that we are automatically allowed to participate, given our positions. But I was hoping that you have heard something about Ash participating as well."

Iris's face fell as she shook her head. "Not a word. I asked around, but while he was on top of the list to be one of the invited trainers, no one could find him after he disappeared five years ago. Initially, they were going to send the invitation to his mother in Pallet Town. But Professor Oak spoke to President Goodshow shortly after that and the invitation was given to him instead."

"That is a bit strange." Cilan mused. "I wonder if Professor Oak knows something about Ash that we don't."

Iris only let out a huff. "Maybe. But I'm mad that that kid didn't even bother to keep in contact with us. I wanted to invite him to watch me challenge Alder, but I just don't know where he is!"

Fraxure gave its trainer a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. It knew how much Iris missed Ash despite how much she vehemently denies it.

"We just have to wait and see." Cilan mused, looking out of the window of the office. "But, we know Ash. He'll definitely be at the tournament one way or another."

"Right…by the way, the tournament is going to be held in the Heiwa region. Have you heard about that region before?" Iris asked curiously.

"Oh, I did." Cilan answered but his face felled. "The region has a sad history behind it and the league."

Iris blinked at that. "What do you mean?"

"It is said that the Heiwa region was plunged into war with Team Dawn. Unlike most other teams, Team Dawn was far more dangerous. I heard that they would raid towns and cities, stealing food, medicine, other necessities, and worst of all, Pokemon to become test subjects for their experiments." Cilan explained sadly.

"What?!" Iris exclaimed in shock. "How could they do that? Ripping Pokemon away from their trainers all for their sick experiments!"

"I had pretty much the same reaction as you did when I first heard of it." Cilan sighed. "But that's not all. Once they raid a place, they will occupy it and terrorize the people in it."

"That really is sad." Iris frowned. "But, what happened after that? There must have been someone to stop them or the league would not have opened up a branch there."

"As a matter of fact, the current gym leaders and the Elite Four of the Heiwa League were the ones who stopped Team Dawn, earning them their positions once the Heiwa League was started up." Cilan concluded. "Ever since then, they have earned their reputation of being extremely strong despite having the smallest pool of challengers among all the other regional leagues."

"That would make them the wild card of the tournament." Iris mused and gained a determined look. "Right! Then we just have to work harder so that we can match up to them!"

"Right." Cilan shook her hand, affirming her words. But deep inside, the question of whether their missing friend would be there or not lingered.

* * *

 _In Prism Tower, Lumiose City, Kalos_

"Luxray, use Swift!"

The Luxray swung its glowing tail, sending star shaped rays towards a target in the middle of the battle field. The Swift hit straight on the target, causing it to explode.

"Bulls eye. This is your 38th time." Clembot announced from the side of the field.

"Onii-chan is getting fired up. He really wants to do his best for the Millennium Tournament." Bonnie remarked to Dedenne. Now a certified trainer, Bonnie had gained ownership of Dedenne from her brother when she first started out her second journey around Kalos. But now, she was on a break to visit her brother and father and because the Millennium Tournament is coming up soon.

"Hey kids." Their father, Meyer, greeted them with a basket. "Dinner is served."

"Oh, thank you, papa!" Bonnie and Dedenne cheered as they went over to help.

Clemont glanced up and gestured at Luxray. "Luxray, let's take a break."

Luxray nodded in agreement and as soon as the dinner was set up, they dug into their food.

"So Clemont, how is the preparations for the Millennium Tournament going?" Meyer asked his son.

"It's going well. But, I'm not sure if I would match up to the trainers participating." Clemont said dispiritedly.

"Onii-chan, you're thinking too much." Bonnie chided him. "With our experience travelling with Ash and Serena, we became stronger!"

"Yeah." Clemont said quietly and turned his gaze up to the ceiling. "I wonder what Ash is doing now. I mean, we haven't heard from him in years and rumors are saying that he disappeared after returning back at Pallet Town."

Bonnie became somber at that. "I don't know. I miss him though."

Meyer looked at his downtrodden kids and sympathized with them. "Now kids, Ash is a strong trainer. I'm sure that wherever he is, he's working hard. And maybe you can find him at the tournament."

Both of his kids brightened up at that. Clemont clenched his fist. "You're right. I have to work harder. That way, I can one day battle Ash and show him how much stronger I have become."

"That's right, onii-chan! Do your best at the tournament!" Bonnie cheered.

With this newfound determination, Clemont summoned his Pokemon back to the field for more practice. 'I'm only going to get stronger until we see each other again Ash.'

* * *

 **This chapter is mainly showing what Red, his friends and enemies are doing now. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten Serena. She will be making an appearance in here but not now.**


	5. Gathering at Mt Harmony (Part 1)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

 **Author's note: In case you are wondering, I followed B2W2's plot where Iris became the Champion. Cilan and his brothers still open their gym and not close it in that game though. All gym leaders, Elite Four and Champions will be using the Pokemon lineups as in the games during their last rematches, with the exception of Brock and Misty for the anime reasons. If I missed anything, do tell me and I'll mention them in the next chapter.**

* * *

The time has come. Two months had passed since the Mt. Harmony Conference and the Millennium Tournament is about to begin. Trainers from all over the world have gathered at Mt. Harmony to compete and win the title of Pokemon Master. Bus after bus and airplane after airplane had come and gone, dropping off visitors and participants at the cliff where the League was located before going back down for more.

In his hideout, Red took a deep breath as he faced his oldest Pokemon: Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Kingler, Muk, Tauros, Snorlax, Heracross, Meganium, Typhlosion, Totodile, Noctowl, Feraligatr, Dolphan, Swellow, Sceptile, Corphish, Torkoal, Glalie, Staraptor, Torterra, Infernape, Buizel, Gliscor, Garchomp, Unfezant, Dewott, Emboar, Serperior, Scrafty, Levanny, Seismitoad, Boldore, Krookodile, Talonflame, Hawlucha, Noivern.

His Pokemon had all grown stronger, some even evolving to their final stages, some choosing to remain as they are. Red was fine with this for pushing his pokemon to evolve would be the last thing he ever did.

And some declined joining him. Squirtle had evolved into a Wartortle by now but had to continued its duties with the rest of the Wartortle Squad, the former Squirtle Squad which was renamed after all the Squirtles had evolved. As for Primeape, after it had won the P1 Grand Prix, it had decided to remain with Anthony to act as a teacher to other Pokemon that he took in to train. Red understood their sentiments and allowed them be.

Even so, he had also gained several new friends: Lucario, from the starter of Riolu Professor Darcy gave him when he first started out his journey in Heiwa; Decidueye, whom he befriended as a Rowlet back when he was visiting the Alola Region; Flygon, the Mystic Pokemon who wanted to join him in an effort to become stronger after watching him train his pokemon; and Silvally, originally an experiment Pokemon put together by the Aether Foundation but saved from being locked up forever by Red.

"This is it guys. This is the moment we've been training for." He spoke to his pokemon. "We will crush the traitors and show them how strong we have become. We will become the strongest Pokemon Trainer and earn the title of Pokemon Master!"

His Pokemon erupted into cheers of agreement. They will be loyal to their trainer to the very end and they will give it their all if it meant for their trainer to finally break away from the burdens of his past.

Red nodded in approval and collected the six pokemon he would be bringing with him to the Opening Ceremony. "I'll be back later tonight. So if you want to continue training, I'm fine with it but don't tire yourself too much that you cannot battle tomorrow."

His remaining Pokemon gave grunts of affirmation and continued their training. Red left the forest once he was sure that they will be fine and went back to the cave where his Elites and Gym Leaders were gathered. He surveyed them and nodded.

There was Yuko, the rock type gym leader and the big sister figure of the group as she is the oldest; Maddie, a huge softie who has a big heart for her friends and bug type pokemon; Maya, Muraku's cousin who has a way with words like her Poison type Pokemon; Nick, the friendly grass type gym leader who always looks out for everyone; Wataru, the air head, hyperactive psychic type gym leader; Atsuya, a genius with computers but only with the help of his electric type pokemon; Kalina, the reliable ground type gym leader who is unshakable in whatever she sets her mind on; and lastly, Lara, original part of Team Dawn but defected when Muraku showed her the meaning of friendship, thus becoming the fairy type gym leader.

His Elites nodded back at him and Red took the mantle. "This is it guys, the Millennium Tournament and the debut of our strength to the world. The only thing I ask is for every one of you to give your all and don't hold back."

"Right!" The gym leaders and Elites nodded firmly.

Seeing as they are ready, Red lead them to the entrance. "Let's go!"

* * *

It was a sight to behold at the Pokemon Center as Red lead his Gym Leaders and Elites to the counter to register. As there are no lines forming yet, they managed to get to the counter in no time.

"Nurse Joy, I would like to register the Heiwa League personnel for the tournament." Red spoke for them.

The Nurse Joy nodded and took their invitations and IDs to process them. "All set. All League Officials have the choice of staying at the Battle Hotel for the duration of the tournament or stay at the Trainer's Village with the other participants and visitors. Do you wish to stay in either places or stay somewhere else?"

Red glanced at Arata who nodded and turned back to Nurse Joy. "We would like to stay in the Battle Hotel."

"Very well." Nurse Joy processed this and handed him several keys bunched together in a key ring. "Here are the keys for your rooms. The Heiwa League will occupy the whole 15th and 16th floors."

"Thanks Nurse Joy." Red thanked her and turned to his group. "Let's go over to that sitting area and handle the room allocations." He gestured at the couches nearby.

"You guys can do that without me." Reika waved and went over to the counter to join Nurse Joy. "Since I'm in charge of the logging of the participants and visitors, I have to help out Nurse Joy here."

"We'll let you know which room you are staying in later." Arata promised as the group moved to the sitting area.

"So the Champions and Elites have a whole penthouse suite to themselves, which means our floor would be the 16th floor while the Gym Leaders occupy the rooms in the 15th floor." Arata summarized. "Room allocations will be…"

Red however tuned out what his Elite leader was saying when he spotted the very people he never wanted to see again. At that time, he was never more thankful for the hood and subtly drew it up to hide his face. Pikachu also noticed them and hid by jumping under the table.

"Red?" Muraku asked, being the first to notice his gesture. The others noticed this as well and were about to ask when an obnoxious voice ran through the Pokemon Center.

"I'm going to beat everyone here and take the title of a Pokemon Master!" Max bragged to his sister, Dawn and Tracey.

"Now Max, don't forget. Misty and I are competing too. You have to get past us if you want to win." Brock smirked along with Misty.

"And I will." Max said competitively.

"Jezz, this is one of the most obnoxious group I ever dealt with." Nurse Joy muttered to Reika who nodded in agreement. When Brock spotted her, hearts appeared in his eyes and he practically flew all the way to the front of the counter.

"Nurse Joy!" Brock cried love-struck, grabbing her hands. "It brings me great joy to see you here and feel the beating of my heart-!"

Brock never got to complete his sentence for not only Croagunk had did a Poison Jab to his back, Nurse Joy slapped his hands away.

"I am afraid I have no time to deal with your lovey-dovey fantasies." Nurse Joy said sternly and firmly. Inwardly, she was thankful that the Champion had warned her beforehand of this possibility happening with the Pewter City Gym Leader. "Please produce your invitation and ID to register and I will assign you to your room. That's it."

"But Nurse Joy!" Brock wailed, grabbing her shoulder. However, this provoked an instinctive action from Nurse Joy as she slapped away his hand and punched him in the face.

"Hey! How can you do that to our friend!?" Misty demanded furiously.

"Technically, she can." Reika said coolly as she came over to assess the commotion. "Under the laws of Heiwa, every citizen has the right to practice self-defense if they feel threatened or harassed by a third party."

"But that's-!"

"I recommend that you shut up and register quietly or I will have to call security. It will be another 24 hours before you can register if I do so as you will be barred from the Pokemon Center for that period of time." Reika warned them.

"Misty, calm down. We really need to register or we won't have anywhere to stay for the night." Tracey whispered to her.

"He's right and we're causing a scene." Dawn said uncomfortably as people who were watching were now glaring at them, especially the group at the sitting area.

"Fine." Misty growled, slapping her ID and invitation on the counter. Brock and Max did the same as they waited for the registration to be done.

"All done." Nurse Joy said neutrally, no longer having the kind smile she and her cousins are known for. "Here are the keys for the Gym Leader's rooms in the Battle Hotel. I am afraid regular participants and visitors are only allowed to stay in Trainer's Village."

"But I want to stay in the hotel with Misty and Brock!" Max whined. "Can't you make an exception?"

"I am afraid not." Reika shook her head. "We have strict policies regarding this and the League had established this rule, not us. If you want to complain, bring it up to President Goodshow."

"That's it! Just who do you think you are?" May demanded, fed up by her cool attitude towards them.

"Reika, Water Specialist of the Heiwa Elite Four." Reika said smoothly. "And please leave before I have to call the guards. You are holding up the line as it is."

"Yeah, move along." The people behind them grumbled. "You already registered so move along!"

The group scowled but moved away from the lines. Nurse Joy and Reika resumed the registration and logging arrangements but this time with cheery smiles.

"I don't care if she is a Champion or Elite, she has no right to talk to us like that." Misty grumbled.

"Agreed. I bet the rest of the Heiwa League is just as snobbish as she is." Dawn grumbled.

A burst of laughter made them halt in their tracks and search for the source. As it turns out, the peel of laughter belonged to some of the members of the Heiwa League, having heard what Dawn said.

"My, my, the pot is calling the kettle black, isn't it?" Maya sneered at them and added loudly so that everyone in the Pokemon Center could hear her. "I mean, you're calling us snobbish when your little friend there was bragging to the whole Pokemon Center that he was going to win the tournament.

"Watch what you say, or you will regret it." Tracey glared at her.

But Maya merely casted them one of her infamous glares which made them quiver. "What you call snobbish is mere professionalism on our part. I'm sure that everyone in here will agree with what I said. And _you_ should be the ones watching your backs. For we don't take kindly to people who harass and be rude to our Nurse Joy, whether she can defend herself or not."

The people in the Pokemon Center nodded in agreement, daring the group to say otherwise. The group felt their faces turn red and quickly fled the Pokemon Center, lest they gain the wrath of the Poison Type Gym Leader and the people in the Pokemon Center on them.

"I'm glad that's over." Arata sighed in relief that Maya had not run her tongue too far. At times, this was useful for people like Max and his friends. But there are times she would forget to guard what she said.

Maya let out a hmp and leaned against Nick. "Let's just get on with the room arrangements so that we can get on with the Opening Ceremony."

"Alright." Red nodded, flipping off his hood. Pikachu also peaked out and hopped onto his trainer's shoulder. "So here are the 15th floor room arrangements: Lara and Maddie, Kalina and Maya, Yuko and Atsuya, Wataru and Nick. For us, we can assign our rooms according to our order."

"Fine by us." Daimen shrugged as did the others for they had no objections.

"Now." Red pressed his hands together. "We just have to get ready for the Opening Ceremony."

* * *

"Do you think he will be here, Cilan?" Iris wondered as she and her fellow Elites and Gym Leaders finished their registration.

"I don't know Iris." Cilan sighed disheartedly. "Nurse Joy said that there is no one registered under the name of Ash Ketchum. And the deadline is closing soon. I guess he really isn't coming."

"Don't give up that easily. I'm sure that he'll be here."

Cilan and Iris looked around in surprise and found Clemont to be the owner of the voice. Cilan's eyes widened in recognition. "Clemont! And Bonnie!" He added when he spotted the young girl beside her brother.

"Mr. Connoisseur!" Bonnie greeted him.

"It has been a really long time." Clemont shook hands with Cilan eagerly. He spotted Iris and extended his hand to her as well. "And you are?"

"I'm Iris, Champion of Unova." She greeted them with a smile and turned to Cilan with a questioning look. "Cilan, you know them?"

"Ah." Cilan nodded. "I met Clemont and Bonnie during a fishing competition in Lumiose City. And Clemont is the gym leader there."

"Oh! Nice to meet you. Any friend of Cilan is a friend of mine." Iris grinned.

"Of course." Clemont smiled back.

"I'm Bonnie and this is Dedenne!" Bonnie introduced herself and Dedenne.

"Nice to meet you as well." Iris said and admired Dedenne. "It's so cute!"

"By the way, what do you mean that we cannot give up just yet?" Cilan asked curiously. "And do you know Ash Ketchum by any chance?"

"Of course!" Bonnie nodded like it was the most obvious answer. "We traveled around Kalos with him once!"

Cilan and Iris were mildly surprised by this but exchanged smiles.

"To tell the truth, we too were his travelling companions as well throughout Unova and the Decolore Islands." Cilan revealed.

Clemont and Bonnie were mildly surprised by this but to be honest, they were half expecting this. Only people whom Ash impacted one way or another would speak of him fondly like they did.

"As I was saying, it's too early to give up on not seeing him here." Clemont repeated his words from earlier. "He never gave up during his quest at the Kalos League, so let's return the favor by not giving up on him."

Iris blinked at his words and looked down at her hands. "The only reason why I decided to become Champion of Unova is because that kid inspired me to always run forward. I trained and caught more Dragon Type Pokemon to become a Dragon Master. And I did. With my strength…no, with the strength Ash taught me to have, Drayden encouraged me to take the title of Champion. Without Ash, I would just be another trainer wandering around aimlessly, not sure of how I can reach my goal."

"I share the same sentiments." Cilan smiled fondly. "It was thanks to Ash my horizons have broadened. My brothers did mention from time to time that they too wanted to go for a journey themselves to gain my views and my strength. But all I can say is that I did not attain it myself. It is only thanks to Ash that I am who I am today. If it weren't for him, I would have not taken the initiative to start my journey and be simply another Gym Leader and another Connoisseur."

Cilan and Iris exchanged glances and nodded determinately.

"You're right Clemont. Ash gave so much to us, it would not be fair of us to give up on him that soon." Cilan told him.

"That's the spirit." Clemont nodded approvingly. "Now, since we have some time before the Opening Ceremony, why don't we swap stories of our journeys?"

"Sounds like a good idea."

"I want to see your Pokemon, Iris." Bonnie tugged on her hand.

"Ok. But I also want to see yours as well." Iris smiled at the younger girl.

* * *

"Gramps, we got to get to them before Brock and the others find out that they were also Ash's travelling companions." Gary murmured to his grandfather as they watched the group leave the Pokemon Center from their spot all the way at the other side of the building.

"I agree. If Brock and the others did find out, they will definitely try to taint Ash's name by telling twisted truths about what happened. And who knows what would happen after that. I know that Iris has a hot blooded personality although it had tamed when she became Champion of Unova. But still…"

"Better safe than sorry." Gary concluded. "I'll find Red and let him know about this."

"And I'll find Cilan and the others." Professor Oak decided. "They know me so it'll be better if I get them away and have Red explain everything to them."

"Agreed." The two Oaks went their separate ways, intent on preventing a possible blow up as much as possible.


	6. Gathering at Mt Harmony (Part 2)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

 **Author's note: joaco14jc brought up several valid points in their review which I feel like addressing here in case anyone has the same questions. Firstly, Ash/Red will not have any legendary pokemon in his party. This is mainly because I am new in writing a 'Ash Betrayed' story, so I did not think about it when I first started out. But after giving it more thought, I decided that I want to portray Ash as someone striving to rely on his own strength to prove his former friends wrong. While I know that many 'Ash betrayed' stories have given him at least one legendary, I feel that if I was in Red's shoes, I will not want to rely on their power because it would prove his friends right that he's a weakling and need to rely on a legendary's strength in order to win. But, one of two legendaries will make an appearance in the future though.**

 **Also, jaoco14jc also pointed out that I forgot about Goodra and Greninja. I confessed that I forgot about those two along with the other Pokemon which Ash released. All I can say is that all the Pokemon Ash released are happy wherever they are but have no idea that Ash was betrayed, sadly. Butterfree, Pidgeot, and Lapras are with their families while Goodra is still in its homeland, happily protecting it and keeping peace there. Greninja on the other hand is still with Squish and the other Zygrade Core protecting Kalos (and maybe Alola). But I can say that if any of them knew of what Ash went through, they would drop everything in a second to seek him out and help him.**

 **For the ages of everyone else, it's at the bottom.**

* * *

Inside the Pokemon Center, Lara sat alone as she watched the people registering while petting her Sylveon on her lap thoughtlessly. The others had gone on ahead but she wanted to be alone for a while.

"Is this seat free?"

Lara looked up and gave a polite smile to Professor Darcy. "It is."

Professor Darcy, the regional professor of Heiwa and Arata's mother, sat down beside the gym leader. "So, how are you cooping as a gym leader?"

"You've asked me that nearly every day." Lara pointed out not unkindly. "But to answer that question, I'm doing well."

"I'm glad to hear that." Professor Darcy smiled. She glanced at the counter and her eyes became wide in delight. "Brandon!"

Lara jerked to her feet at that, much to her Sylveon's shock and mild displeasure. But she paid no mind to that as she scooped it up and ran out before Professor Darcy noticed.

Brandon, glanced around for the person calling him and gave one of his rare smiles at the person. He went over and shook her hand. "Darcy! It has been too long."

The other Frontier Brains were mildly curious of the person Brandon was greeting. Finally, Lucy managed to ask. "Brandon, if you don't mind me asking, who is this?"

"This is Darcy, the regional professor here. She is an old friend of mine. We grew up and went to college together." Brandon grinned.

"It's nice to meet all of you." Darcy bowed politely. "I heard plenty of things about your work as Frontier Brains and I am impressed. I am looking forward greatly to the opening of your new branch here. Oh, Anabel, it has been too long." She greeted the purple haired trainer, much to the shock of the Frontier Brains except for Brandon.

Anabel greeted her with a smile as well. "It's nice to see you again, Professor Darcy. I'm not sure if you know this or not, but I will be transferring here after the tournament to take charge of the branch here."

"Yes, Arata and Red mentioned of that to me." Professor Darcy nodded thoughtfully. "Well, anyway, I won't take up anymore of your time. Good luck in the tournament."

"Thank you." Anabel bowed and followed her colleagues to their rooms in the Battle Hotel. Despite being reserved solely for League Officials, Scott and Red pulled some strings to allow the Frontier Brains and the Alolan Trail Captains and Island Kahunas who are participating to stay there as well.

"Spill." Greta hissed once they were away. "When did you meet Professor Darcy?"

"During my vacation here five years ago." Anabel said nonchalantly. "Since she is Brandon's old friend, he asked her to put me up for a few days when I first arrived here."

Greta was satisfied by this explanation and left her alone for it. Brandon, however, had not moved from where he was standing and turned to Darcy.

"That girl with you just now. Is she…?"

"Yes." Darcy nodded, answering his unasked question. "She's Solaris's daughter. I think she must have recognized you which is why she ran off."

Brandon's eyes hardened. "And Solaris?"

"In maximum security prison." Darcy confirmed. "All of Team Dawn is already disbanded or in jail. Arata and the others made sure of it."

"That's good." Brandon closed his eyes. "The last thing we need is for that psychopathic brother of mine to gloat over his goals succeeding just because some grunt somehow managed to pull off his plan."

"Brandon." Darcy placed a hand on his arm to quiet him. "No one saw it coming. Anyway, the only people who knows of Lara is you, me, and the Gym Leaders and Elites. They promised to keep quiet about this."

"Good." Brandon sighed. "I better get going. We'll catch up again later."

"Very well." Darcy nodded.

* * *

Outside the Pokemon Center, a young lady with honey brown hair which was tied in a ponytail and looped through a purple cap stepped off one of the many busses coming up and down the mountain. She stretched from the long journey and released her pokemon so that they can do the same too. She lifted her cape, revealing a pair of familiar warm blue eyes. She was wearing a purple jacket over a blue shirt and a purple skirt. She also had pink boots and a blue tote bag.

"We're finally here!" She cheered with her Pokemon which consist of Delphox, Sylveon, Pancham, Spoink, Shellos (East Sea), and Audino.

"I wonder if Ash, Clemont and Bonnie are here? Then again, Ash and Clemont would definitely be here." The lady mused. As she rounded around the Pokemon Center, she saw the people she was looking for at a picnic bench with two of the people she was looking for. She was slightly disappointed that Ash was not with them but at the same time, she was curious of the two people they were with. It was not long before Bonnie spotted her and ran over.

"Serena!" The young girl tackled her into a hug.

"Shh!" Serena shushed and pulled her back to the picnic table. "Not so loud."

"Serena, what a surprise." Clemont greeted her quietly, respecting her wishes.

"Clemont, this is?" Iris and Cilan blinked.

"Oh, this is Serena, the current Kalos Queen and our former travelling companion with Ash." Clemont whispered.

"Sorry about that." Serena rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "It's just that I'm in disguise now. When we are in crowds, please call me Sera. Otherwise, I can't go anywhere without being swarmed by fans. Oh, how rude of me, I haven't let you introduce yourselves yet."

"I'm Cilan, a Pokemon Connoisseur and one of the three Gym Leaders of Striaton City." Cilan gave a small bow.

"And I'm Iris, current Champion of Unova." Iris greeted with a handshake.

"Nice to meet you. Is Ash here?" Serena asked, looking around.

"I'm afraid not." Clemont frowned. "No one has seen him since he disappeared five years ago."

"Oh." Serena's face fell.

Seeing this, Iris gave her a sympathetic smile. "Cheer up, I'm sure that the kid will show up sooner or later."

"But I wonder why he disappeared all those years ago." Serena said in a small voice.

"I can answer that."

The group of five looked up in surprise. "Professor Oak!?"

Professor Oak nodded in greeting with a slightly strained smile. "Hello everyone. As I was saying, I have the answers that you want."

"Do you know where Ash is?" Serena asked hopefully.

"In a sense, yes I do." Professor Oak nodded. "But I can only give them after the Opening Ceremony. In fact, I can bring you to him."

"He's here?!" Iris said in shock. "But why wouldn't he come to see us? We're his friends!"

"I know, unlike some other people." He muttered the last part in disgust. "Anyway, I also have to ask you keep quiet about this for now. Don't tell anyone that Ash is here, including his old travelling companions."

He directed the last part at Cilan and Iris, taking them by surprise.

"Excuse me, but what do you mean by that?" Cilan asked.

"Please trust me on this. You cannot tell anyone about this. Wait until Ash tells you his part of the story. Oh, and please do not believe anything which anyone says about him. Again, Ash is the only one with the whole story which is unaltered by lies."

"Professor Oak, what is going on?" Serena asked fearfully, not understanding what the pokemon professor was saying.

Professor Oak sighed at that. "All I can say is that Ash experienced a traumatic experience by those he once thought close to him. The rest is up to him to explain. Now remember, don't tell anyone that Ash is here and don't believe anything anyone says about Ash."

With that, he abruptly left, leaving the group in confusion.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Clemont wondered.

"Who knows?" Iris narrowed her eyes. "But this tells me a lot. Professor Oak knows what happened to Ash. And whatever it is, it is not good."

"I agree. I don't like all the secrecy." Bonnie trembled.

Serena clenched her fist at that and lowered her head. Now, her cap was shading her eyes. "Guys, we have to help him."

"I agree. But we have to get the story to do so." Cilan pointed out. "Let's wait until Professor Oak and Ash explain everything before we jump to conclusions."

"Excuse me!" Daimen called as he came around the corner. "The Opening Ceremony is about to begin in an hour! Participants are required to gathered in the main stadium now while visitors may proceed to the stands!"

"Ah!" Iris shot up from her seat. "Cilan, come on! We have to go!"

She grabbed Cilan's hand and dragged him along to the direction of the stadium.

"Wait for me!" Clemont called as he ran awkwardly to catch up with them.

"Somethings never change." Bonnie sighed and took Serena's hand. "Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be cleared up tonight. Let's enjoy the Opening Ceremony now and worry about Ash after that."

"You're right." Serena forced a smile and adjusted her cap. Inwardly though, she was still worried for her long time crush.

* * *

The stadium was crowded when Iris, Cilan and Clemont arrived there. An usher directed Cilan and Clemont to the field in the middle of the stadium and Iris to the platform below the stage to take her position as Champion.

When Iris arrived at the platform, she gulped at the presence of the older champions from the other regions as they turned their gaze to her. The only one she recognized was Cynthia who waved and offered an encouraging smile as she took her spot beside her.

"Overwhelming, isn't it?" Cynthia asked to strike up a conversation.

"Yeah." Iris nodded, thankful to the older woman for trying to distract her. "I never been to an event as big as this."

"It certainly is. Pity that Ash is not here." Cynthia sighed. "I was hoping that you had seen him here."

Iris frowned as she remembered Professor Oak's warning. "Sorry, but Cilan and I haven't been able to find him at all."

"I see." Cynthia closed her eyes for a second. "It's a pity. He is a trainer with a lot of potential. I would like to have a battle with him here and see how far he can go. By the way, have you met Heiwa's Champion?"

Iris blinked at where Cynthia was gesturing at and her eyes widened at the sight of the Champion standing at the end of the platform. "Who is he?"

"That's Red. He took on the mantle of Champion five years ago after defeating the former one. Funny thing is that the former champion later on took the mantle of the leader of the Elite Four after one of them resigned."

"I see." Iris could not take her eyes off Red. He was a mysterious fellow, especially since he has his hood on, hiding his face from everyone.

Meanwhile, Red was internally surprise to see Iris as a Champion. He was slightly thankful that Gary had warned him that his travelling companions from Unova and Kalos were here and that he had the forethought of letting Pikachu go with Professor Darcy instead of staying with him. While people would not recognize him because his hood and slight changes in his facial looks, hopefully, it would be enough for the traitors to not recognize him.

Part of him misses his friends and wished that he could reach out to Iris now and comfort her of her nerves. But that will have to be later, after the Opening Ceremony.

Up on the stage, the MC took her place and the crowds became silent. Jessie smirked and snapped her fingers. Instantly, fireworks shot out from the top of the stadium, enthralling the audience.

"Welcome everyone to the Millennium Tournament!" Jessie yelled into her mic, provoking the audience to cheer along with her. Jessie waited for them to die down before continuing. "This is the place where you can prove your strength and reach the top! Whoever wins the tournament will be granted the prestigious title of Pokemon Master! So trainers, go out there and show them what you got!"

"You got it!" Someone in the crowd yelled.

"And now, presenting the organizer of this event, President Charles Goodshow!"

Jessie passed the mic to the short man and stepped aside. President Goodshow waved at the crowd for a while before beginning his speech. "Trainers, I welcome you here to the Millennium Tournament. I commend you on being able to stand on this field. This is a huge honor, so live up to it. I ask for you to not focus on reaching the top but on the journey you will take to reach the top. With that all said, I would like to introduce the Champions of each region."

Smoke puffed out as part of the stage split open, lifting the platform of the Champions. One by one, they stepped out as the smoke dispersed.

"First, we have the Champion of Kanto and Johto, Lance!" President Goodshow waved at the Dragon Master who kept a stern look and nodded at the crowd.

"Next up is Wallace from Hoenn who took back his title from Steven a year ago!" Wallace gave the crowd his charming smile.

"And the beautiful lady of Sinnoh, Cynthia!" Cynthia gave the crowd a polite smile and wave.

"The young Dragon Master Iris who became Champion of Unova just two years ago!" Iris gulped as the crowd's attention was directed at her. Her feet shook and she felt like she was going to faint.

 _'Just be yourself.'_

Iris nearly jumped at the voice in her head that sounded very much like the kid whom she travelled with once but quickly regained her composure when the message sank in. She held her head high and nodded slightly. She had no idea of who gave her that message and how but she knew she had to focus as Champion of Unova.

Taking a deep breath, she winked at the crowd and waved. "Hi everybody!"

President Goodshow nodded in approval at that and continued the introductions. "And from Kalos, a well-known actress besides being a Champion, Diantha!" Diantha gave a small bow along with her signature kind smile.

"Last but not least, Champion of the youngest but powerful league as well as our host for the tournament, Champion Red of Heiwa!"

Red gave a mysterious smile as he flicked off his hood. The crowd gasped at how young and handsome he was. But certain people were shocked as to how similar he looks to a certain hot blooded trainer they know.

"And now, a few words from our host." President Goodshow passed the mic to Red. But before he went to the side, he placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Welcome back Ash."

Red nodded subtly and turned to the crowd. He took a deep breath to center himself. People will have guessed somethings by now so he will put an end to them later. Planting on his 'Champion smirk', he addressed the crowd. "As Champion of Heiwa, I welcome you to our humble region. We are honored to have you here. Before I explain the rules of the tournament, I have a few requests to make on behalf of the people of Heiwa. Firstly, while we welcome you to our region, we expect you to respect our culture and history. In addition, a word to the press that we have the right to remain silent to your questions as we see fit. We also do not appreciate any form of invasion of privacy. If you cannot respect our requests, we have every right to deport you and bar you from returning to our region."

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Wallace whispered to Lance.

"It may be. But if you think about the region's past, it would make sense." Lance whispered back.

"Ah." Wallace nodded in understanding and resumed listening to Red.

"As for the rules of the tournament, we will start out with three Preliminary rounds. The first round will be one on one matches. The second round will consist of two on two double battles. The last round will be three on three matches. All matches will be decided randomly according to the computer. With the Preliminary Rounds, 300 participants will be narrowed down to 40 lucky participants. From there, we will have the Final rounds which will consist of five rounds."

Red paused for breath before continuing, "So there. I hope that you will all give your best for this tournament. At the same time, remember this. This tournament is meant to test the bonds between trainer and pokemon. Only those who remember this will be able to reach the top. Are there any questions?"

"I have one!" Max shot his hand up and pointed at him. "Are you Ash Ketchum?!"

Arata and the Elites inhaled sharply while the gym leaders looked around nervously. While part of the crowd was curious as to how Red would answer, some of the league officials like President Goodshow were glaring at Max for his impromptu question. But Red remained calm and waved at the crowd to quiet down.

"Young man, all I can say is this: I have no idea why you would think that Ash Ketchum and Champion Red are the same person." Red said firmly and stepped down, passing the mic back to President Goodshow.

The short man glanced at Red briefly before speaking again. "Thank you Champion Red. And with all that, let the tournament begin!"

* * *

 **Ages:**

 **Serena-20 (mainly because I estimate Ash to be 17 during his Kalos travels and Serena to be close to his age around that time)**

 **Bonnie- 13**

 **Clemont-21**

 **Cilan-23**

 **Iris-18 (I'm not really sure of her age in BW, so I'm only going by the estimation that she was younger than Ash to some degree despite constantly calling him a kid.)**

 **Brock-25 (He and Cilan had to be the oldest travelling companions for Ash used to view them as the big brother figures for the respective travelling groups)**

 **Misty-24**

 **May- 19**

 **Max-15**

 **Dawn-18**


	7. The Truth and Identity Revealed

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

* * *

Once the Opening Ceremony was over, Max, Brock and Misty met up with Dawn, May and Tracey at one side of the stadium.

"I'm sure that Red is Ash Ketchum." Max growled.

"That's not possible Max." Misty scoffed. "Ash Ketchum is a weakling. There is no way that he would be a champion."

"I have to agree with Misty." Brock nodded in agreement. "It may be very disconcerting that he looks like that weakling, but I am fairly certain that he is not Ash Ketchum. With this tournament, we will show him that we are stronger without him holding us down."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Even Max begrudgingly admitted that the older man was right. Out of the corner of her eye, Dawn spotted Iris and Cilan moving away. Her eyes lighted up in glee at the prospect of more people to turn against Ash.

"I'll be right back." She said and ran over to the two. "Iris! Cilan!"

Iris and Cilan froze in their steps and turned to face her. Unbeknown to her, they had heard everything the group said and had been angry, hurt and confuse. But Cilan refused to let Iris confront them and made her move along to find Serena, Bonnie and Clemont. But luck was clearly not on their side so they forced themselves to act as normal as possible.

"Hello Dawn." Iris said coolly and Cilan merely offered a polite nod.

Dawn was miffed by the cold reception from the both of them but chalked it up to tournament stress.

"I wanted you to meet some of my friends who were also once Ash's travelling companions. We bonded over the fact that Ash is a weakling and should stop his journey after his mother brought up some valid points." Dawn said laughed unkindly.

Iris badly wanted to lunge at her but was held back by Cilan's hand on her shoulder. When she spun around to give him a piece of her mind, her words died in her throat when she saw something she never thought she would see in the connoisseur's eyes. Rage.

Before either of them could say anything to the blue haired coordinator, Daimen and his Noivern shuffled in between them.

"Excuse me! We are about to close off the Stadium! Please process to the exit in a fashionly manner. Have a good night and get enough sleep for tomorrow's matches!"

He proceeded to push Dawn back to her friends, despite her protest, and then pushed the whole group to the exit. His Noivern, however, pushed Iris and Cilan to a different exit where Clemont, Bonnie and Serena were waiting.

"There you are! We were looking for…what happened?" Clemont asked when he saw their downcast, angry faces.

"Cilan?" Iris turned to him to let him explain. Cilan nodded and proceeded to explain everything they learned from Dawn. By the time he was done, the Kalos trio were visibly shaken.

"I cannot believe it." Clemont shook his head in disbelief. "I know that none of us have actually met his old friends before…"

"But this is unacceptable!" Bonnie fumed. "Friends are supposed to help each other out! Not backstab each other!"

"I agree, but it appears that their friendship with Ash was not as real as I thought." Professor Oak spoke up, startling some of them.

"Professor Oak, is it because of them that Ash disappeared?" Serena asked sadly.

"I'm afraid so. But this was not how we wanted you to find out." Professor Oak sighed. "Anyway, come with me. Ash agreed to see you guys now."

They're faces lighted up at that and nodded eagerly. Professor Oak then brought them to the Battle Hotel, much to their surprise.

"Wait a minute, I thought the Battle Hotel only allows League Officials such as Cilan and I to stay here, and the Frontier Brains." Iris pointed out as Professor Oak spoke to the receptionist to let them in. The receptionist, having being told beforehand to let Professor Oak and the people with him inside without needing to register, allowed them to do so.

"You're right." Clemont nodded in thought. "The only way Ash could be here is if he is…" His eyes lighted up in realization as did Cilan's, having come to the same conclusion as he did.

"Don't tell me, Ash is…" Cilan muttered and then broke out into a grin. "This only makes me want to see him more!"

"What are you talking about?" Iris frowned at him, not understanding what he was saying.

"You'll see." Cilan winked while Clemont only grinned. Iris and Bonnie pouted at being left out while Serena sweatdropped. Nevertheless, she was hoping that they would share what they know soon.

"Alright, we can go in now." Professor Oak told them as he passed out visitor's tags to Serena and Bonnie before clipping the last one on his coat. "Come along, we've better hurry before he changes his mind."

* * *

"Guys, don't you think that they are suspicious and probably know something about Ash?" May whispered to the group, having seen Professor Oak bring Iris's group in.

"I have to agree." Dawn nodded and her eyes landed on Serena. "I recognize her! She was the coordinator who defeated me during the Hearthome City Contest last year! She shouldn't be able to enter the hotel since only League officials are allowed to stay there."

"Let's follow them and see what they are up to." Max proposed. This was immediately agreed by everyone and they started to follow them. But Muraku abruptly stepped in their way with his Houndoom, blocking their way.

"I'm sorry I cannot let you pass until you have registered and obtained permission of the person you intend to visit to enter the hotel." He said politely, yet firmly.

"What about them? They didn't register." Misty jabbed her finger at the direction of Professor Oak's group who had been waiting for the lift and heard what they said.

"They had been registered beforehand by Champion Iris." The receptionist spoke up from her desk, having been asked by Professor Oak to not let it out that it was Red who let them in.

"What! Oh, um, yes!" Iris quickly ratified her mistake and nodded. "I was the one who registered them earlier."

"What about me? We're friends, right? Surely you already registered me" Dawn said hopefully.

Iris eyed her and turned to the receptionist. "I don't know her."

This made Dawn freeze and eye her in shock. "But Iris-!"

"Oh, look, our ride is here!" Iris cut her off and entered the lift with the group, thereby cutting off Dawn's protest and indignant cries.

Dawn tried to follow them into the lift, but Muraku's Houndoom jumped in her way, growling softly.

"Register first." Muraku handed them forms, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine." Brock and Misty huffed, grabbing the forms and helping their friends register.

* * *

"Phew, we got rid of them." Bonnie sighed in relief, leaning against the walls of the lift.

"Yeah. Dawn had it coming." Iris smirked.

"Iris." Cilan sighed.

"What? I meant it when I said that I didn't know if. If I did, I would have figured that she's a backstabber and not the Dawn we thought we knew." Iris huffed angrily.

Cilan blinked and suddenly understood what Iris was feeling. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Iris. I forgot that you are just as hurt as Ash probably was at her betrayal."

Iris looked up at him and gave a tired smile. "You're forgiven."

"Well, I for one am glad that they didn't follow us and figure out where Ash is." Clemont spoke up. "By the way, which floor are we going to?"

"The 16th floor. But we have to stop at the 14th floor and go up using the stairs from there." Professor Oak told them. "That way, Misty and Brock will not be able to track us from downstairs."

"It's a good idea." Cilan nodded. "Since we said that Iris is the one who registered us, it would make sense for us to stop at the 14th floor since she's staying there."

"By the way, why in the world did the receptionist say that I'm the one who registered Serena and Bonnie in?" Iris pouted at Professor Oak.

"Ah, I told the receptionist not to tell anyone who is the one who actually let us in. I didn't think that she would say that it was you." Professor Oak gave her an apologetic smile.

"It would make sense though." Serena said thoughtfully. "I mean, you are the only one among us who has the highest position of Champion. Less people would ask questions if it is you who registered us."

"Oh." Iris blinked. "Well, at least we know what to say if anyone asks us in the future."

"We're here." Bonnie pointed out when the lift came to a stop. The group left the lift and headed straight to the 16th floor from the stairs. There, Arata was waiting for them at their penthouse entrance.

"Welcome to the Heiwa's Champion and Elite Four penthouse suite." Arata greeted them with a knowing smile. "Your friend is waiting for you."

Iris, Bonnie and Serena blinked and exchanged glances. The answer as to where Ash is came crashing down on them as their eyes became wide.

"Ash is Champion Red of Heiwa!?"

* * *

 _"Ash is Champion Red of Heiwa!?"_

Inside the living room of the penthouse suite, Red winced at the loud volume of the girls. Internally, he hoped that no one else heard it. Pikachu and Anabel, who happened to be there as well, smiled at him sympathetically.

"Don't worry, our floor is soundproofed. I made sure of it." Reika smirked at him.

Red casted an annoyed look at her. "You anticipated this happening, didn't you?"

"Maybe not." Reika shrugged. "But I figured that with all the secrecy regarding your identity, I figured that it would not hurt to have some safeguards around us. In this case, it certainly helps."

Red let out a sighed but straightened up when he heard Arata coming in with the group. He frowned when he did not see Gary among them. "Where's Gary?" He whispered at Arata when he took a seat beside him.

"He said that he'll join us later." Arata whispered back and nodded at his friends. "For now, I think you should greet them."

Red sighed but stood up and went in front of the group. "Hi guys. I'm sure you already figured it out. But yes, I am Ash." He said, removing his hood.

"Ash!" Iris and Bonnie tackled him into a hug. Dedenne scurried out of Bonnie's satchel to greet Pikachu with a rub of its cheeks.

"It really is you!" Serena exclaimed, pulling Red into a hug once Iris and Bonnie released him.

Anabel, who had been watching, felt a pang of pain in her heart, watching Serena hug Red tightly. Arata noticed this and gave her a comforting nudge. It was no secret to him that Anabel and Serena like Red. The problem is that Red was still oblivious to girls and it's hard for him to get into a relationship, given his status.

While they had gotten closer during their travels around the Heiwa region, Red still only saw Anabel as a really close, dependable friend. And while Serena sincerely wants to help Ash, Arata doubt that she actually knows how to. Anyway, Arata was not going to take either girl's side unless Red responded to either of their feelings. Even so, he had a very strong feeling that only Anabel can help Red.

"So this is where you have been for the past five years." Cilan remarked as he and Clemont placed a hand on each shoulder.

Red shrugged and whipped out his red hat from his pocket and tugged it on. "I'm sorry about that. But certain things happened and I had to get away from everyone to clear my thoughts."

"We know." Serena said sadly. "We know about your friend's turning their back on you."

"It was worse than that. My mother was the ringleader of the notion." Red tugged down his hat. His friends fell into an awkward silence at that.

Reika sighed and gestured around. "I wonder why you are all still standing around. It's easier to catch up while sitting down. We have couches for a reason after all."

"Reika, remind me why you and Maya don't get along together? Oh wait, you just did." Red deadpanned as he sat back down between Anabel and Arata. The other's followed his example and became spread out over the living room.

"Um Ash, why don't you introduce your friends to us?" Professor Oak suggested. "I know that she is one of the Frontier Brains." He pointed at Anabel. "And the other two are part of your Elite Four but we don't know their names."

Red grimaced for forgetting about that. "Sorry. Anyway, this is Anabel, Arata and Reika. You guys know Professor Oak. So the rest were my travelling companions from Unova and Kalos. They are Cilan, Iris, Clemont and Bonnie. Anabel is a Frontier Brain in the Kanto branch but she will be transferring over to Heiwa after the tournament to start the Heiwa branch."

"So you two will be in the same region like you were when you were travelling." Reika giggled.

"Reika." Arata sighed while Red glared at her. Anabel said nothing but her face was becoming notably red. Seeing this, Serena's heart sank at the prospect of another person liking Ash.

"And she was also my travelling companion here in Heiwa when I was competing in the League." Red continued. "And Arata, who was the Champion of Heiwa at that time but now the leader of the Elite Four, is the son of Professor Darcy, the regional professor here. So when I first met Professor Darcy, she introduced me to him and he had been a great help in parts of my journey."

Arata ducked his head at that. "Well, truthfully said, I don't know exactly how much I helped him. But I do know that he helped me a lot, what with helping me take down the remnants of Team Dawn."

Iris' eyes became wide at that, remembering Cilan's story of Team Dawn. "Wait! You mean you fought against Team Dawn!"

"Only a fraction of the original team." Red grimaced. "At that time, some of the old members of Team Dawn were trying to revive the group to continue their boss' goals. I just so happened to be at the wrong place at the right time. So, that lead me to fighting them."

"There are times I really doubt that you were actually not trying to look for trouble." Arata deadpanned. "Worse yet, Anabel eventually also became involved and you two had to play hero, getting into more trouble."

"And you thanked us for it." Anabel said smoothly.

"Right." Arata nodded with a sigh.

"And that leaves Reika." Red gestured at the auburn lady who grinned and waved.

"Hi, I'm the third member of the Elite Four and the water specialist of the crew. I used to be the Leader of the Elite Four but after Arata became an Elite, I gave up that mantle to him."

"Two of my other Elites are out now. So I'll introduce you guys to them later." Red told them. He plasted a smile and turned to Iris and Serena. "I heard that you became the Champion of Unova and Kalos Queen some time ago. This may be a bit late, but congratulations."

"Thanks Ash." Serena smiled. But Red's smile became strained and he flinched.

"Um, if you guys don't mind, please call me Red. I don't want anyone to know I am Ash Ketchum just yet. So in private or public, call me Red so that you won't accidentally slip."

"Alright then." Clemont nodded as did the others. Serena however became saddened by this which did not escape Arata's notice.

"Ah!" Iris suddenly screamed, jabbing her thumb at him. "You were the voice that helped me calm down during the Opening Ceremony!"

Everyone's eyes danced between Red and Iris, wondering what the Dragon Master was talking about.

"Oh, that." Red tugged on his hat with a mysterious smirk. "I picked up a few things during my time here."

Everyone stared at him weirdly but Red was unaffected by this. He glanced at the clock on the wall and gasped. "Uh oh! We got to check on the match ups for tomorrow before bedtime!"

Arata and Reika's eyes became wide as the former quickly switched on the TV and searched for the line ups.

"We're not late, we swear!" Daimen cried as he and Muraku burst inside the penthouse suite, making some of the jump.

"We still have another fifteen minutes until mom comes up." Arata mumbled as he struggled to quickly display the line ups.

"What's going on?" Iris frowned, tilting her head in confusion as Red and his Elites rushed to scan the now displayed line ups on the TV.

"Professor Darcy is particularly strict on us going to bed on time. So we have to check our line ups now and go to bed before she finds out that we're still up." Red muttered, quickly finding his opponent to be Winona in the morning in Stadium 4.

"Why are you all still up?"

This made them freeze in place and slowly turn to face the stern look of Professor Darcy and her Delphox.

"Mom! We were just looking for our line ups. We're sorry! We got caught up with Red's friends and Daimen and Muraku just got back from their post!" Arata bowed in apology.

Finally noticing the crowd, Darcy blinked. "Oh, why didn't you say so earlier? I'm Professor Darcy, the regional professor here."

"Ah, I've heard about you." Professor Oak stood up to shake her hand. "You are quite well known for your research in Pokemon Biology to find cures for certain Pokemon illnesses."

"It's nothing." Professor Darcy replied modestly and surveyed the group. "I'm glad that Red actually has friends outside the Elite Four and Anabel, which can certainly make him forget about curfew. But still, bedtime is bedtime. And the same goes for all of you."

"Can't we wait for a few more minutes?" Reika begged, not taking her eyes of the TV. "I'm just about to find my opponent."

"I'm afraid not." Professor Darcy reverted back to her stern mode and switched off the TV, much to Reika's dismay.

"Ah! I haven't figured out who's my opponent and when!"

"Don't worry, you're up against a trainer from Unova name Dino in Stadium 2 in the evening." Arata told her. "I memorized everyone else's matches, time and location in case you are wondering."

"You're a livesaver." Daimen sighed in relief.

"Now, bed." Darcy said pointedly. The Elites and Red groaned but followed her orders, lest they get hit with a Hypnosis by Delphox.

"It was great seeing you guys again, but we have to save the catching up for tomorrow." Red sighed as he led his friends and Anabel to the door.

"Professor Darcy has an interesting taste. One moment, she has a sweet taste and another, she as a fiery yet controlled taste." Cilan sweatdropped.

"Tell me about it." Red rolled his eyes. "If it is one thing we are afraid of, it is the wrath of an angry Professor Darcy and her Delphox when they are in their 'motherly' mode. Well, we'll see you guys tomorrow. I'll make sure that Daimen and Muraku have a proper introduction then."

"Alright." Clemont nodded, placing a hand on Bonnie. "Let's go now. Serena, do you have any place to stay for the night?"

"Ah! I forgot to get a room at the Trainer's Village!" Serena cried as she remembered.

"Then you can stay with us. Clemont and I are staying in Trainer's Village." Bonnie proposed.

"Thanks." Serena sighed in relief that she has a place to stay for the night. They soon left with Professor Oak as Cilan and Iris went back down to their respective floors.

"I better get going soon then." Anabel told Red. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait, can I walk you there?" Arata suddenly appeared beside Red.

"Arata? But what about Professor Darcy?" Red raised an eyebrow enquiringly.

"Don't worry, she gave me permission." Arata waved and gestured for Anabel to follow him up to the 19th floor where the Frontier Brains were staying.

"So, is there anything that you want to speak to me about?" Anabel asked once they were out of earshot of Red.

Arata sighed and nodded. "As a matter of fact, yes. It's about Red and Ash."

Anabel blinked but her eyes fell when she understood what he was saying. "I see."

Arata nodded with a frown. "Whether Red admits it or not, he views Red and Ash Ketchum as two different people. And this is creating a psychological split between the two identities. Remember what he told Max just now at the Opening Ceremony?"

"I do not know why you would think that Ash Ketchum and Red are the same people." Anabel quoted. Her eyes became wide in realization. "Don't tell me Red really thought of himself separated from Ash at that time."

"Indeed. While he allows certain people to realize that he was Ash, he doesn't acknowledge that he is Ash. He only acknowledges that he was once Ash in the past but is dead now. Which is why I need your help."

"You want me to show him that Ash still lives in Red and there are no real differences between the two identities." Anabel said quietly. "If so, why didn't you ask Serena?"

Arata eyed her for a moment. "She likes Ash, yes. But she doesn't know Red, and they are different sides of the same coin. Red is the identity Ash created for himself here in Heiwa in the light of his so-called friend's betrayal. He created Red not to hide his identity as Ash, but to kill the pain Ash experience from the betrayal. You however, know both sides of the coin. You know Ash just as well as you know Red. Only you can understand his pain and help him through it."

"Truthfully said, I don't know how successful I can be with that." Anabel sighed. "And he might want to be with Serena. And if so, I won't stick around to disturb them."

"I'm not going to take either of side to decide on who gets to be with Red, but from my personal point of view, he's happier with the both of you around as his friends." Arata pointed out. "Remember that. Even if you think that Red will be happy with Serena if he actually likes her, he is still happy with you as his friend. It's going to be the same vice versa."

Anabel kept quiet in thought at Arata's words. She offered a smile and nodded. "I'll think about it. And regarding to Ash and Red, I'll do my best. I may not succeed, but I have to at least try."

"And all I ask if for that." Arata came to a stop at the 19th floor. "Good night, Anabel. May you do well in your battles."

"I wish the same for you as well." Anabel nodded politely.


	8. vs Altaria

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

* * *

The next day, it was barely dawn when Red, his Elites and their Gym Leaders woke up and gathered at Red's hideout.

"Based on the line ups, none of us have been unlucky to be matched against each other." Red stated as he analyzed the line up on the TV screen. "And our matches are spread out across the next few days. So, the only ones battling today are me, Reika, Yuko and Daimen."

"I'm up against a trainer from Sinnoh, and Daimen is up against Whitney, Goldenrod City's Gym Leader." Yuko mused.

"Since we are having our battles today, we have to get ready our strategy for them. As for the rest, I'm sure that they can do training as well." Red mentioned and switched off the TV. "One more thing, I want every one of you to not use Mega Evolution or Z-Moves early in this stage. Leave it to the Final rounds."

"Why not?" Arata frowned. "You told us that we should do our best yesterday."

"It's a psychological trap." Muraku realized. "Without the usage of Mega Evolution or Z-Moves, we can catch our opponents off guard in the Final rounds. Also, we should try to avoid showing our whole team early on the tournament. Try to repeat using the same pokemon for each rounds so that our future opponents will only be focused on them and not expect our surprises."

"That is a good plan." Arata admitted. "Well, we should grab some breakfast before we watch Red's match which is first."

There were murmurs of agreement and they headed back to the Pokemon Center to grab something to eat. But Red headed to his pokemon's sanctuary to pick out the pokemon that he would use today. Given that he found out who his opponent is last night, he had some time to think about it.

"Red, will you be using me?" Pikachu asked hopefully.

"Sorry buddy, but I don't want to use you until the Final Rounds." Red shook his head. "Many people are already suspicious of my identity. I want to prolong it as long as possible. Don't worry, at the end of the tournament, I will reveal the truth."

"Are you sure?" Charizard asked skeptically. "I mean, you might meet those traitors again during the preliminary rounds. And we want a go at them."

"If that happens, I'll let you guys have a go. But for now, I'm sticking with Lucario, Decidueye, Silvally and Flygon." Red commented.

"Don't worry, we'll fight your worth out there." Lucario assured the other pokemon.

"That doesn't stop me from worrying for you." Charizard said pointedly at Red, the other pokemon nodding in agreement.

"What's there to worry about?" Red raised an eyebrow.

Charizard was about to answer but Pikachu shook his head. "Don't. There's no use in talking to him about it now. You'll only waste your breath and Red will be late for his match. Let's wait until tonight to talk to him about it."

Charizard thought about it and admitted that Pikachu was right so he sighed and nodded. "Alright then." Turning back to address Red, he pointed a claw on his chest. "Just go out there and do your best. Whatever we want to talk to you about can wait until later."

Red frowned but nodded, respecting his pokemon's wishes. "Very well then. By the way, Cilan, Iris, Clemont, Bonnie and Serena know who I am. So don't be surprise if I bring them here later."

His pokemon who knew said people cheered but those who did not exchanged skeptic looks in fear that the betrayal episode would repeat again. Seeing this, Red pulled Pikachu and Charizard aside.

"Please teach all of them to trust in my friends." He said softly. "Especially you, Pikachu. You saw them last night so you will be able to convince them better. I need every one of them to trust Iris and the rest. They will be crucial in helping me."

"With what?" Pikachu tilted his head.

"Facing my past." Red said, adjusting his hood. "I have to go now. Don't push yourselves in training."

"We won't." Pikachu and Charizard chorused. But once he was out of sight, Pikachu sighed at Charizard.

"I hate seeing him like this. He's trying to hide it, but he has a lot of conflict inside him over his identity of Red and Ash."

"Me too." Charizard let out a low growl. "It's those traitors' fault that Ash is like this!"

"I know." Pikachu nodded somberly. "While Red doesn't treat us any different than Ash, it's different, and not in a good way. I miss the old Ash. Red is a powerful trainer and cares for us very much, but underneath all that, he is just a hurt person who is carrying the wounds of Ash in his heart."

"I miss Ash too." Charizard sighed.

"Me too."

Pikachu and Charizard spun around to see Meganium who had spoken. Behind her were some of Ash's oldest pokemon: Bulbasaur, Snorlax, Typhlosion, Feraligatr, and Sceptile. Each of them had the same concerned looks Pikachu and Charizard had.

"Guys." Pikachu sighed.

"We're sorry, we didn't mean to eavesdrop." Typhlosion rubbed the back of his head apologetically.

"Don't be. We all feel the same way for Ash. It's natural." Charizard sighed. "But we have other things to worry about. Get back to training. We got to show those losers our true strength!"

The pokemon roared in approval and proceeded to continue with their training.

"With this fire burning in them, they'll definitely overcome every opponent they face." Pikachu said confidently.

"Yeah, but let's hope that the fire doesn't burn them out before the matches they are supposed to present." Charizard said jokingly.

* * *

It was nearly 9 am when people began pouring into the stadium. Among them, Anabel, Iris, Clemont, Bonnie and Serena quickly found their seats and waited for the match to begin.

"It's too bad Cilan can't come." Iris lamented. "He was looking forward to watch the match but his match was posted at 9.30 so he didn't want to cut it close and rush from here to Stadium 1."

"Oh, but luckily, I have the perfect gadget for this kind of situation." Clemont smirked, pushing up his glasses.

Serena freaked and turned to Bonnie. "Will it work? I mean, we can't afford to have it exploding here!"

Bonnie and Clemont burst out laughing at that, much to Anabel and Iris's confusion.

"Relax Serena." Clemont pulled out a simple video recorder. "While my inventions had gotten past the exploding stage, my dad made me promise that I would not use any of them while I am on Mt. Harmony. So he got me this video recorder to use instead."

Serena blushed in embarrassment. Taking pity on her, Anabel spoke, "Clemont, you better start recording for Cilan to watch now. They are going to start soon.

Sure enough, The MC, James, tapped several times on the mic to get their attention. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the first match of the day here in Stadium 4!" He greeted from the MC box. "This is going to be an exciting match! For facing Winona, Gym Leader of Fortree City, is none other than the Champion of Heiwa, Red!"

Both trainer box rose from the bottom of the stadium, eyes firm and hand clutching their pokeballs.

"It is an honor to face you here in the tournament, Champion Red." Winona gave a small bow. "I may not be able to defeat you but I will not back down. I have my pride as a gym leader."

Red let out a small smile as he admired her spirit. "I have to admire your determination and your unwillingness to give up. But I'm not going to go easy on you for that."

"The one on one battle between Champion Red and Gym Leader Winona will now begin. Trainers are not allowed to substitute their Pokemon and the battle will be over when one side's Pokemon can no longer battle." The referee announced the rules. "Trainers, bring out your pokemon!"

"Go, Altaria!" Winona summoned her faithful and most trustworthy friend to her side.

Red's eyes twinkled as he called out his Pokemon. "Decidueye, battle by my side!"

Both Pokemon appeared on the field and Winona eyed Decidueye in interest. "I never seen such a pokemon before."

"Folks, we are seeing both their pokemon and it is an interesting matchup. While Altaria has the advantage of being a Flying/Dragon type, Decidueye has the additional power boost from being part Grass, part Ghost type." James told everyone.

"And Decidueye is also the final evolutionary form of Rowlet, the Grass type starter of the Alola region." Red added. "Interestingly, Rowlet and its second evolution Dartrix are Grass/Flying type."

Winona's interest in the Alola region was now visible. "I would like to know more about the Alola region after our match if that is fine with you."

"Of course." Red nodded and then smirked. "But first, let us focus on the match. May our match be one to be remembered."

"Champion Red gets the first move. Battle begin!" The ref brought down his flags.

"Decidueye, get in close and use Shadow Claw!"

Decidueye let out a cry as it flew over to Altaria, its claws glowing purple. Without the need of a verbal warning, Altaria flapped its wings to take it into the air and spun away to avoid it. But the tips of Decidueye's claws grazed Altaria's underbelly, causing it to wince and become unsteady for a moment.

"Altaria, steady yourself and use Dragon Breath!" Winona called out. Heading to its trainer's command, Altaria flapped its wing to steady itself and fired a green beam from its beak.

"Block it with Steel Wing." Red calmly ordered.

Decidueye's wings gained a metallic sheen and raised them in front of itself to block the incoming Dragon Breath. Much to Winona and much of the audience's shock, Decidueye was barely pushed back by the force of Dragon Breath and broke through it.

"Time to go on offence." Red smirked, tilting his head to reveal his hidden eye glinting. "Use Frenzy Plant!"

Winona's eyes became wide and quickly ordered Altaria to fly higher. But Decidueye was faster and slammed its glowing body on the ground, causing thorny roots to fly out of the ground. The roots slammed at Altaria from all directions.

"Altaria!" Winona cried out as the Humming Pokemon plummeted down, fainted.

"Decidueye, catch it!"

Decidueye dutifully swooped below Altaria and safely brought it down, much to Winona's relief.

"Altaria is unable to battle." The ref declared, seeing the swirls in the fallen pokemon's eyes. "Decidueye wins. Therefore, moving on to the second round is Champion Red."

Winona quietly returned her pokemon, thanking it for its hard work and met Red as he petted his Decidueye.

"Congratulations on moving on, Red." Winona extended her hand.

"Thanks. I'm sorry if I was too brutal on Altaria." Red said sincerely.

"It's alright. It means that you are giving your all which is what I want." Winona shrugged it off. "About Alola…"

"I have a few books about that region that you can borrow." Red offered. "Also, since you are no longer in the tournament, go have a vacation there before going back to Fortree City."

Winona blinked but nodded. "I'll think about it. Again, thank you."

Up in the stands, Anabel's group had moved outside to discuss what happened while heading over to Stadium 1 for Cilan's match since Red's match ended a lot earlier than anticipated. Iris was trembling at the prospect of a Dragon type pokemon going down with very little effort on Decidueye and Red's part.

"That was so…" Iris was unable to describe how she felt for the match. "I mean, Decidueye defeated Altaria and was not fazed by that Dragon Breath!"

"Calm down Iris." Serena sweatdropped with the others as she tried to calm down the girl. "I'm just as surprise to see As-Red take down his opponent without a lot of effort. But, if you think about it, while his opponent is a Gym Leader, he's still a Champion."

"Serena's right." Clemont pushed his glasses up thoughtfully. "Even though Decidueye could have completely overpowered Altaria, I think Red intentionally did not have it go all out in the beginning."

"But why?" Bonnie frowned in confusion. "He never battled like that before."

"It has been like this since I started travelling with him throughout Heiwa." Anabel sighed. At everyone's questioning looks, she elaborated, "I don't have all the details since I only started travelling with him after he obtained two badges. But from what I was told, Red started to change his battling style to hide himself from his so-called friends."

"But it is deeper than that." Arata suddenly popped out, joining the conversation.

"Arata!" The group, sans Anabel, jumped.

"Not so loud." Arata shushed them. "I'm in disguise right now so that I can move around easily."

They paused and observed him. Instead of his red suit, he was now wearing an orange shirt with a red jacket over it. He also wore white pants and red sneakers. He also had a yellow cap, hiding his red hair and face.

"Sorry." Serena said apologetically. "But what did you mean that it is deeper than that?"

"I'll tell you later. Too many people here." Red cautioned, his eyes darting around. "Are you guys headed to Stadium 1 by any chance?"

"Yup." Iris nodded. "We're going to watch Cilan's match."

"I figured so. Once he has changed, Red will join you guys there." Arata said quietly. He shook his head and planted a grin. "I to go. Another friend of mine will be having his match soon. I'll see you guys later."

"That Arata. Always popping out of nowhere and then disappearing." Anabel muttered as Arata disappeared in the crowd. "When I was travelling with Red, he would always do that. Heck, we didn't find out that he was the Champion at that time until one of Team Dawn's grunts let it slip."

"It must have been a wonderful journey." Serena said wistfully, wishing that she had found out about Ash's situations sooner so that she could be by his side.

Seeing this, Anabel shrugged. "I'm going to be honest with you, it was not as 'wonderful' as you would think. Much of the region was still recovering from the war against Team Dawn. So a lot of places did not have the most pleasant sights. But right now it's doing well. Despite the change in Championship, the region recovered well."

"It must have been hard." Iris said sympathetically. "Well, let's not focus on that any more. I can't wait to see the look on Cilan's face when he realizes that he could actually watch Red's match and still make it in time for his."

The others only offered wry smiles at Iris's joke.

* * *

"What did I miss?" Arata asked as he sat down beside Reika at the VIP viewing box for the Elites and Champions, ignoring the looks of the other Elites and Champions who were also watching.

"Nothing much." Reika shook her head. "The introduction is over. They are choosing their first pokemon now."

"May the winds guide you Xatu!"

"Show them what you got Milktank!"

"Begin!"

"Milktank, Body Slam!" Whitney yelled, taking the first move.

"Avoid it." As Milktank jumped at Xatu, throwing its entire body weight into the move, Xatu merely spread its wings out and took a few steps back at the last minute. As Milktank landed on the ground where Xatu was before, it rode on the shockwaves of the move to get up high in the sky.

"Unbelievable! Xatu is riding on the shockwaves to get up in the air!" The MC said in shock.

"I remember this. Daimen is proficient in directing his Pokemon to read the air currents and take advantage of them." Steven mentioned, remembering his match against the easy going Elite. Despite not being a Champion anymore, Wallace had given him permission to take his place there while he spoke with Winona regarding her match.

"Wow, he sure is a rocker in the air." Sidney joked, only to earn a kick from Phoebe who was sitting beside him.

"Psychic to hold it in place." Daimen directed.

Xatu's eyes glowed blue as Milktank was encased in the same blue line. It tried to struggle out of it but the Psychic was too strong.

"Use Attract!" Whitney yelled in desperation.

Despite being suspended in the air, Milktank winked and hearts flew over to Xatu.

"Cut them down with Air Slash. Don't let up until Milktank is down."

Xatu complied, landing and cut down the hearts with Air Slash despite needing to release Milktank from its Psychic hold.

"Chance! Body Slam again!" Whitney called out.

"Is she insane!?" Reika half yelled, gripping her hair.

Arata rolled his eyes. "Daimen has this in the bag."

"Direct the Air Slashes up!"

Xatu merely tilted its body upward and sent the Air Slashes up at the now vulnerable Milktank who was midair with nowhere to dodge. In less than five seconds, Milktank had fainted.

"Milktank is unable to battle. Xatu wins. Therefore, Elite Four Daimen will be moving on the next round."

"Waa~" Whitney wailed, hugging her Milktank close. "We lost!"

Daimen sweatdropped and snuck back to the VIP viewing box where Arata and Reika were waiting for him. "Man, I forgot that she likes to throw tantrums at her losses."

"How old is she even?" Reika shook her head.

"Anyway, Red won his match, right?" Daimen turned to Arata.

"Do you even need to ask?" Arata smirked. "He won with no real effort."

"Glad to hear that." Daimen grinned.

"The Heiwa Elites are not one to be underestimated." Phoebe muttered to herself, observing the trio despite them not taking any notice.

"They aren't." Steven shook his head. "Truth to be told, I was not even sure that I could reach the Champion when I took on the Elite Challenge. I had a few close calls which I pulled through thanks to luck."

"Wow, they really are tough." Sidney said with wide eyes. "We have our work cut out for us."

"Indeed." Steven nodded thoughtfully. He shifted his gaze back to the Heiwa Elites and accidentally caught Reika's eye. She eyed him for a moment and smirked. Steven only smirked back, knowing the challenge she was issuing with that smirk.

"Reika, what are you doing?" Daimen asked her, shifting his gaze between Steven and Reika.

"Nothing. Just wanting to avenge my loss against a certain steel type trainer." Reika sang.

Arata and Daimen eyed Steven from the corner of their eyes and exchanged smiles. There was nothing they could do to stop Reika once she set her mind on something. If she wanted to challenge Steven in the future, they could only wait and see if she will be successful or not.


	9. vs Magmotar

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

 **I'm so sorry for the long absenteeism and no updates but to make up for it, I'm posting some info about the Heiwa League here.**

 **Champion: Red**

 **Elite Four (order is bottom to top):**

· **Arata (fire)**

 **· Reika (water)**

 **· Muraku (dark)**

 **· Daimen (flying)**

 **· Mia (former) (Ice)**

 **Gym Leaders (order is bottom to top):**

· **Lara (Fairy)**

 **· Kalina (ground)**

 **· Atsuya (electric)**

 **· Wataru (Psychic)**

 **· Nick (grass)**

 **· Maya (Poison)**

 **· Maddie (bug)**

 **Yuko (rock)**

 **PS. LEGAL-EAGELS53 pointed out that Wataru is Lance's Japanese name. In this story, Lance is the Kanto-Johto Champion while Wataru is one of Heiwa's gym leaders.**

 **The Heiwa League have an independent system from the official league where by the the region is divided into four areas: North, South, East, West. There are two subareas in each area. Each subarea has one gym leader taking care of it and acting as a peacekeeper while maintaining their duties as gym leaders. Each area has one Elite Four member who is in charge of the two subareas. The champion's main job is to maintain order over the whole area.**

 **Areas:**

 **North: Mia - Daimen, Maya, Nick**

 **South: Muraku, Wataru, Lara**

 **East: Daimen - Arata, Yuko, Maddie**

 **West: Reika, Kalina, Atsuya**

* * *

The first round matches were still undergoing by the end of the week. As almost everyone expected, the whole Heiwa league managed to move up without any difficulty. Clemont, Cilan and Iris had also won their matches earlier that week and were now preparing or relaxing until the second round. Today, it is finally Anabel's turn.

Anabel was softly petting Espeon in the Pokemon Center lobby while mentally preparing for her match that morning. She was up against a random trainer from Alola. But other than that, she knew next to nothing of her opponent. But that does not mean that she would let down her guard.

"Morning Anabel." Serena greeted her with Sylveon by her side.

"Good morning Sera." Anabel greeted back with a knowing smile.

Serena smiled back and sat down beside her. Espeon looked at Anabel for permission before jumping off her lap. She began meowing at Sylveon, gesturing for it to follow it. Sylveon hesitantly turned to Serena who nodded encouragingly.

"Go on."

With that, Sylveon smiled back and dashed off with Espeon to play not too far from their trainer.

"Your Sylveon is glad to have a friend in a friendly eeveelution." Anabel remarked absentmindedly as she and Serena watched their respective eeveelution play.

"I think so too." Serena smiled. "She's really shy as an Eevee. When she evolved, she became more confident but the shyness is still there."

"Espeon knows that too which is why she wants to be friendly with her."

Serena looked at her in shock. "How did you know that?"

Anabel blushed when she realized her slip. "I was going to save this surprise for my match later. But to answer your question, I can understand the emotions of pokemon. So I can get a basic understanding of what they are saying."

Serena looked at her in awe. "That sounds amazing. But how does that apply in a battle?"

"Well, it allows me to telepathically communicate with my pokemon as well as command them." Anabel answered with a sly smirk. "Ash learned that the hard way when we first battled."

Serena let out a small giggle at that. "That's sounds just like him. So, who's your opponent today?"

"It's a trainer from Alola. There's nothing much that I know about him." Anabel mused. "A funny thing is that my coworker Paul is battling a trainer name Jump from Hoenn today as well. I remember hearing from a good friend of mine that while Jump did not battle Ash, he battled another friend of his. And lost badly."

"It sounds like almost everyone that Ash met in his travels will be here." Serena mused. "I met two old friends of ours who are participating in the tournament too just yesterday. And they said that they saw a few people whom Ash met before in other regions here as well."

"It is. But the competition will get tougher from here. And I intend to do my best." Anabel said firmly.

* * *

"Folks, welcome to the grass field today for our first match of the day! It has been an intense few days with the first round matches going on. Many of our favorite competitors have moved on or have been kicked out. Let's see if the Salon Maiden of the Battle Frontier will remain in it or will newcomer Pabu take the round."

The crowd cheered with the commenter. Red let out a small smile from where he was sitting. He was dressed in his casual clothes with Pikachu on his lap, ready to cheer for their friend. Arata and Reika were also sitting with them in their casual clothes while Iris and the others were sitting on another part of the stadium.

"I wonder why do you want to sit here instead of the VIP box. If we're not careful, people might recognize us and swamp us before we know it." Arata whispered at Red. His eyes were darting around as he watched out for anyone who might recognize them.

"Too many people I'm not comfortable around are there. Relax, our disguises have held out this long. If we can fool Team Dawn's grunts, we can fool these people. Besides, they're not actively looking for us."

"But they are all around us." Arata shot back.

"And their eyes will be on us if you keep this up." Reika interjected smoothly. She had a light blue button-on sleeveless shirt with a dark blue jacket and a white skirt with leggings and blue sandals. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail with her jacket hood concealing it and her face.

Red rolled his eyes and reverted his gaze back to the field as the platforms rose. Anabel was firm and serious despite the small smile on her face. Her opponent on the other hand had an arrogant air around him.

Arata sucked in a breath to get his laughter under control. "All in agreement that Anabel will win, raise your hand."

Instantly, everyone raised their hands, including Pikachu. Arata grinned and glanced around. "We have a winner."

Down at the field, the ref made sure that both trainers were ready and stated the rules. "This will be a one on one battle with no substitutions. Trainers, call out your Pokemon."

"Go my friend!" Anabel sent out her Metagross.

"Bad move. Let's heat this up Magmotar!" Pabu mocked her.

"Pabu gets the first move. Battle begin!" The ref brought down his flags.

Pabu sneered and snapped his fingers. "Magmotar, roast them with Fire Blast!"

Anabel narrowed her eyes as eyed the kanji flames coming at Metagross. "Iron Defense!"

Mentally, she added. _"And Psychic to throw it once the flames die down."_

 _"As you wish Mistress."_ Metagross replied with a small nod. A metallic sheen covered its body to increase its defense as the flames engulfed it. Pabu and Magmotar laughed mockingly.

"Too bad. I was hoping to have a challenge! Once again, Pabu the Roaster has won!"

"It's too early to say. I'm just getting started." Anabel's lips twisted into a sly smirk. Just as the flames died down, nearly everyone was shocked to see that Metagross was still standing. The flames hurt but thanks to Iron Defense, the damage was lessened.

Without warning, its eyes glowed blue as it unleashed its Psychic move on Magmotar. This Pokemon and his trainer dared insult his mistress' abilities so it will unleash its wrath. It lifted a startled Magmotar up in the air and flung it across the field. Magmotar ended up rolling in the grass and landed a few meters from its trainer.

"What the heck?! Anabel had not given a command and yet, Metagross used Psychic." The MC said in shock.

"Grr…Get up and use Smokescreen!" Pabu bellowed. Magmotar shook its head to clear the pain from being flung and breath out the thick black smoke of Smokescreen, completely covering the field.

 _"Should I attack, mistress?_ " Metagross asked.

 _"No, wait for it to show itself."_ Anabel instructed so Metagross held its ground. It scanned its surroundings, waiting for its opponent to show itself. Its alertness paid off when Magmotar jumped out behind it with its hand ignited for a Fire Punch.

 _"Meteor Mash!"_

With astounding speed, Metagross moved out of the way and slammed a glowing arm into its gut with star particles coming out of it. The impact sent Magmotar flying again, this time into the wall with swirls in its eyes.

"Magmotar is unable to battle. Metagross wins. Therefore, the Salon Maiden Anabel will be moving on to the next round."

"And there you have it folks. Pabu the Roaster cannot beat a candle to the Salon Maiden Anabel who masterfully outsmarted her opponent with her special ability to relay her orders to her Pokemon telepathically!" The commenter jested and laughed at his earlier joke. The audience didn't care much about it but were cheering on Anabel's win.

"That was some match." Reika grinned as she clapped. "She totally roasted that Roaster!"

Arata and Red turned their heads away to hide their laughter at her joke. Soon, they got up to leave the stadium.

"Just two more matches and the first-round will be over." Arata mused as he read through the match listing. "Later in the afternoon will be…Mia."

Instantly, Reika and Red pressed against him to look at the match listing as well.

"…Wanna grab lunch and head to Mia's match?" Reika asked awkwardly.

"Maybe not. She's been avoiding us ever since the tournament started and I think she needs time to sort through her problems with Muraku before she comes to us." Arata shook his head.

Red said nothing but remained thoughtful. He and Mia were not particularly close mostly because she resigned from her position as an Elite Four a month after Red became champion and left Heiwa almost as soon after that in the light of her argument with Muraku. But it can be said that there was some mutual respect between them. At the same time, he cannot help but hope that she will approach them soon despite respecting her privacy.

He excused himself from Arata and Reika and headed to his private training spot. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder.

"Ash, have you given what we said some thought?" Pikachu asked immediately, folding its arms across its chest.

Red rolled his eyes and sat down on a log beside his partner. "Yes I have and yet, I don't think it was necessary."

"We're just worried for you." Pikachu said worriedly.

* * *

 _ "Ash, we need to talk." Charizard told him seriously when he came back to his hideout that night after his battle with Winona. _

_"I can guess where this is going." Red sighed but relented and sat down in the circle his Pokemon had formed._

 _"Ash, we are really worried about you."_ _Pikachu started. "Ever since the announcement of this tournament, you have been struggling a lot to maintain your image as Red. And we can see that you don't want your identity as Ash to be revealed but Red cannot maintain that forever in front of those traitors."_

 _"I know. But I can't stop here." Red pulled down his hat. "I have to face them sooner or later."_

 _ "Maybe. But do you want to face them as Champion Red who is just another competition for them to beat down or Ash, the person whom they cut down all those years ago whom is vindicating himself?" Tonterra asked sagely. _

_Red did not have a good response to that. Instead, he stood up and made a vague gesture. "I'll think about it."_

* * *

"Look buddy, I know that you and the others care for me, but that's more than I can ever ask for." Red told his oldest friend.

Pikachu sighed and nuzzled closely to him. "Ash, we just don't want to see you hurt. We miss the Ash that is always cheerful and positive of everything."

"I know." Red said quietly.


	10. vs Manectric & Magnezon

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

* * *

The next day, it was barely dawn when we see Brandon wandering around the forest surrounding the area where the tournament is held. He had made his way up after defeating Marshal of the Unova Elite Four, upholding his reputation of being one of the strongest Frontier Brains. It was no easy feat, especially since he did not plan on using his Golem trio in the first few rounds. When his Solrock was sent out against Marshal's Mienshao, he knew it would be a tough battle. And he was right. In the end though, it was a great match for him and he hoped to battle Marshal again someday.

Right now, he knew that he should be preparing for the second round. However, there was something else in his mind. Something more personal. As he observed his surroundings, he noted that the entire region had changed ever since he left. Then again, nothing remained the same after the war. Guilt found its way into his heart as he remembered how he could have returned to stop his home region from crumbling but he didn't. Instead, he stayed away like a coward and waited for someone else to fix the mess his brother made, all because he was afraid of Solaris.

He would never admit it out loud, but Solaris' psychopathic tendencies had terrified him and Darcy growing up. Despite being a close group of friends up until their university days, Solaris had a darker side to him that got them into trouble more than once. Thus, when he created Team Dawn and sent the region into darkness and chaos, Brandon could not help but wonder if there was anything he could have done to stop him instead of being afraid of his younger brother. There was a period he did not feel worthy of the Bravery symbol that he considered quitting the Battle Frontier. It took a lot of convincing from Scott and Darcy not to quit but even so, it took a longer time to rebuild his confidence as a Frontier Brain. Thankfully, this had happened before the Battle Frontier was still in its infant stages and before the other Frontier Brains joined so none of his coworkers knew about it and Scott never brought it up.

"Brandon!"

Brandon jerked out of his thoughts and forced himself to be composed as Darcy ran over to him with a warm smile.

"That was a great battle you had with Marshal. I'm sorry I could not watch it but Arata's battle was still on going at that time." She chatted, unaware of her friend being less attentive than usual.

"That's fine." Brandon managed a small smile. "I understand how important this tournament is to Arata. So it is natural that you would want to support him."

Darcy returned the smile. This was like old times. The two of them hanging out together when they could not stand Solaris' attitude and talked about random things that came to mind. But somehow, the conversation turned to Solaris' daughter.

"Have you spoken with Lara yet?"

Brandon stilled at the question. Darcy frowned and planted her hands on her hips. "Have you even met her yet?"

"She's been avoiding me, Darcy." Brandon pointed out irritatedly.

"But so have you."

Brandon had no argument for that. It was true that he had tried to avoid his niece as much as she avoided him.

"She's not Solaris." Darcy gently reminded him. "I know that Lara may not have the best start being an Admin for Team Dawn and his daughter in the beginning. But, she was willing to turn her back on him once she realized what he is doing is wrong. I admit I was skeptical of her initially but over time, she grew on me. Arata and the others trust her so I have no reason to doubt her."

"Maybe, but that does not mean that I want to get to know her this soon." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "I'm thinking of paying a visit to brother dearest after the third round."

Darcy let out a sharp intake of breath. "You can't be serious."

"I am."

"But none of the Elite Four will allow it. They won't even let me or Lara see him."

"Red will if I bring it to him personally."

Darcy bit her lip in agitation. "But Brandon, what do you want to accomplish by seeing him?"

"I'm not sure."

* * *

"Alright guys, it's time for the second round and this time, I'm using Flygon and Lucario." Red announced at the pokemon gathered in the training grounds. Most of them groaned for they were hoping for a chance to battle soon but they good heartedly congratulated both pokemon.

"Thank you Red. We will not let you down." Lucario said determinately.

"I know you won't. For our battle…"

"Red, we have a visitor." Pikachu interrupted, pointing at the Alolan form Vulpix sitting off to the side with a piece of paper in its mouth.

"Hi there." Red greeted it curiously. "You look familiar."

The Vulpix dropped the paper in his hand. "Special delivery."

"Thanks?" Red flipped the paper open and once he read the contents, he raised an eyebrow. "She wants to see me?"

"Yup." Vulpix nodded. "My mistress hopes to see you soon. Bye bye."

"Who is it from?" Pikachu asked as soon as Vulpix left.

"It's from our missing Elite Four." Red said with a small smile and shake of his head. "Flygon, Lucario, do double battle training for today. I have something that I have to take care of. Come on Pikachu."

Pikachu hopped on his shoulder while the aforementioned pokemon began their training with Red's more experienced pokemon.

* * *

When Red arrived at Stadium 5's VIP box, he was not surprise to see Muraku and the other Kanto-Johto Elites watching the match attentively. As he slid into the seat beside his dark type elite, he raised an eyebrow at him. Red shrugged back and shifted his attention on the match.

On one side was Mia, Muraku's twin sister. She shared many of Muraku's facial features but her black hair was decorated in ice blue streaks. She was wearing a black tank top with a white shawl wrapped around her shoulders, black line pants and purple ballet flats.

Red recognized the Vulpix that gave him the note as well as an Alolan form Sandslash at Mia's side of the rocky field while a Manectric and Magnezone owned by Gym Leader Wattson.

"Wahaha, get ready because it'll be an electrifying battle!" Wattson guffawed.

"Oh, it just so happens I have a feeling that this will be a freezing battle instead." Mia's lips curled up into a thin smile.

"Gym Leader Wattson gets the first move. Begin!"

"Manectric, Double Team to surround them!"

Manectric growled and created copies of itself to surround Sandslash and Vulpix. Both Ice type pokemon tensed and jerked their head around to find the real one among the copies.

"Magnezone, now use Thunderbolt!"

Mia narrowed her eyes as Magnezone charged up and fired the Thunderbolt at her Pokemon. She willed them to endure it for she knew that they were strong.

Vulpix and Sandslash shook off the attack once it wore off and glared at Magnezon. However, Sandslash noticed something about its ally and dread filled its stomach. Mia stiffed her giggles. "Vulpix, your fur is messed up."

Hearing this, Vulpix's eyes became comically wide as it noticed that its usually neat and tidy fur was standing on its end due to the static.

"Vul~!" It cried out in horror. But once the horror died down, anger settled in. Flames danced in its eyes as it vowed revenge against Magnezon.

Mia let out a small sigh and shook her head in amusement. "Playtime's over. Vulpix, Hail, And then the both of you use Aurora Veil."

Vulpix's body became outlined in a bluish light as it howled at the sky. Clouds formed up in the sky and rained down hail on Magnezon and Manectric. While it did not affect Magnezon much, Manectric's copies were eliminated by the Hail and the real one was pelted by the ice stones. Sandslash extended out its arms glowing bluish as well but this time, an aura formed around it instead. The same happened to Vulpix as it used Aurora Veil as well.

"Stay strong Menectric." Wattson encouraged. "Use Flamethrower at them. And Magnezon use Zap Cannon!"

A stream of fire shot out of Manectric's mouth while Magnezon fired a white beam of light at them. Vulpix and Sandslash cried out in pain from the attacks.

"You can do this, stand up!" Mia called as Vulpix and Sandslash pushed themselves up slowly. While the moves were very effective, the damage was halved by Aurora Veil. Mia let out a breath of relief. "Pay them back. Sandslash, Metal Burst. And Vulpix, round around Magnezone and use Blizzard."

Sandslash immediately released a bright burst of energy at Manectric. Manectric howled in paid as it was sent flying into one of the boulders of the field.

Vulpix on the other hand regained its angry look and dashed around Magnezon. It tried to spin around to stop it with a Thunderbolt but Vulpix's anger not only made it stronger but faster as well. Before Magnezon could fire the Thunderbolt, it was met with a blast of strong wind with snow in the face, causing it to stagger. Seeing its comrade in trouble, Manectric shook off the pain of Metal Burst and jumped at Vulpix. It swiped its paw at Vulpix, sending it tumbling down. Sandslash quickly caught it with its claws and settled the ruffled and still angry pokemon down.

"Manectric, Magnezon, let's finish this up! Use Thunderbolt!"

Both Manectric and Magnezon began charging up with electricity. Mia slowly smirked and nodded unnoticeably. "Let's finish this. Sandslash, take the attack with Metal Claw."

Sandslash nodded back and jumped in front of the double Thunderbolt attack with its gleaming claws. As it ran towards Manectric, each claw absorbed the Thunderbolt attack and dug them into its side. The result is that Manectric could no longer remain standing and fainted.

"Manectric is unable to battle."

"Thanks a lot old friend. Rest well." Wattson muttered as he recalled Manectric. Magneton was hovering tiredly by now and it did not have the energy to attack Sandslash despite the proximity.

"Vulpix, do the honors with Ice Beam." Mia grinned coolly.

Vulpix's fiery eyes gleamed as it shot the Ice Beam at Magnezon, instantly freezing it. It crashed onto the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Magnezon is unable to battle. Vulpix and Sandslash wins. Therefore, the winner of the match is Gym Leader Mia."

Mia let out a small huff as she recalled Sandslash and picked up Vulpix. "Don't worry, I'll groom your fur so that it'll shine beautifully again."

This calmed down the fox pokemon as it settled in its misstress' arms. Mia chuckled and after the customary post battle handshake with Wattson, she rushed back to her locker room where Red was waiting for her.

"That was a great battle back there. Wattson is no push over, especially his Manectric."

Mia flashed a brief smile and pulled out a brush from her bag. As she groomed Vulpix, she spoke, "I'm glad that you're here actually. It would have been unbearable for me to know that Muraku was the only Heiwa Elite watching my match."

"They would but they rather that you go to them first instead of avoiding them because they think that you want your privacy." Red explained as he sat down on the bench across from her.

Mia's lips turned down in an irritated frown. "I see."

"Anyway, care to explain why you asked me to meet you here?" Red asked. "Your note said that it was urgent."

Mia paused in her brushing, making Vulpix mildly irritated. But one look at her mistress's face told it that this was a serious discussion. It sighed in despair, knowing that it will need to wait until the discussion is over before it can get its fur neat and tidy again.

"It's about Forest, the former Pewter City Gym Leader." Mia said carefully.

Red instantly narrowed his eyes. "What? Does this have anything to do with Brock being the Pewter City Gym Leader again?"

"Yes." Mia nodded. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a newspaper clipping and gave it to him. "This is a news article from three years ago. It's about the drug usage scandal by the Pewter City Gym Leader Forest."

Red's frown grew deeper as he read the article. "I see. But there must be more if you wanted to talk to me about this."

"As far as what other League Officials know about this scandal, Forest was accused of using drugs on his pokemon to make them stronger. He was investigated and his pokemon were confirmed to have high levels of drugs in their bodies by the local Nurse Joy…and Brock who was a practicing doctor at that time."

Red stilled at the mention of that. "If it was only Nurse Joy, I might believe it. But if Brock was involved, does this mean that he had something to do with it?"

"Nothing is confirmed, but rumor has it that there were a lot of discrepancy in the investigation. But the only thing that was proven is the drug levels in the pokemon. In the end, Forest was stripped of his position as Gym Leader and was arrested. However, he somehow managed to escape. There was a search warrant for him in Kanto and Johto but no one has found him since then."

She paused to let Red process all this first before continuing. "A few months ago, I went to Ula'ula Island to look for an Ice Stone for Vulpix. And that's where I found Forest."

Red blinked in mild surprise and then cracked a smile. "Let me guess, Nanu was hiding him."

"Yup. Being a cop, you would think that he would turn in a wanted person instead of helping him. But that was not the case." Mia snorted with a roll of her eyes. "It took me a while to convince him and Forest to trust me due to the fact that I'm Pryce's apprentice but they finally came around when I revealed that I was the former Heiwa Ice type Elite Four…and that you are actually Ash."

"What!?" Red yelled angrily.

"I'm sorry I did that without asking your permission first but it was necessary especially since the information that Forest had about Brock was important." Mia said apologetically.

Although he was still mad at her for giving away his identity so easily, he was curious about the information that Forest gave her. "If the information you got is worth it, I'll forgive you for telling Forest my identity."

Mia flashed him a triumphant smirk. "I promise you that it will be. It turns out, Forest was framed by Brock. It turns out, Forest was gaining more fame and popularity than Brock or their father ever did during their time as Gym Leaders. So, a jealous Brock hid drugs in his pokemon's food which created the high level of drugs in their bodies. By the time Forest realized that something was wrong with his pokemon, it was too late. Brock had reported on him."

Red's lips quivered in anger. "Betraying a friend is one but for him to do this to his own brother?! That is insane!"

"I know. But there is more. Apparently, Nanu knew from the start that Forest was innocent which is why he is helping him. He thinks that Brock is still using drugs on his pokemon but on a more subtle level. To confirm this, I went to watch Brock's match last week. And he was right." Mia said quietly rubbing her arm. "There was one point in the battle, I saw it. His pokemon had that dark look and veins showing up on their skin…even though it was for a split second which I don't think anyone caught, but I saw it. And these were same signs of the pokemon Team Dawn used their Dark serum on them."

Red's entire face darkened and slammed his fist on bench. "How is this possible? I thought we rounded up all of Team Dawn's members!"

"I don't know. But this is worth looking into." Mia said slowly as she began brushing Vulpix again. "For now, I'll keep my distance from everyone else and continue my information search."

"Got it." Red nodded, drawing up his hood.

"Also," Mia paused hesitantly. "Brock's next match is against Lara in two days' time. You should get the other Heiwa Elites to watch the match as well to confirm my suspicions."

Red raised an eyebrow. It was well known in the whole Heiwa League of Mia and Lara's apparent dislike of each other. And yet, Mia did not seemed to have a lot of trouble talking about Lara like she did before.

"Are you over your dislike of Lara?" He asked curiously.

Mia let out a scoff at that. "I don't dislike her, I hate her. But, one thing Pryce taught me is to keep focused on the real goal ahead of me. So for now, I'm not going to dive back into my feelings towards Muraku and Lara for the duration of the tournament and the 'Brock Drug' situation. However, where this is all over, I won't guarantee that there will be any forgiveness or reconciliation for them."

"I understand." Red nodded and headed out of the locker room. "Thanks for going through the trouble to get all this information for me."

As soon as the door closed behind him, he let out a troubled sigh. With the tournament going on, the last thing they need is a scare of Team Dawn coming back. If they wanted to find out more about Brock's possible usage of Team Dawn's Dark serum, they will need to do this quietly and subtly. First thing's first is to find his Elites and Gym Leaders and convince them to watch Lara's match to confirm Mia's theory before creating a scare.


	11. Plans Created, Confrontations Made

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

* * *

"Kingdra, finish this up with Twister! Back it up with Hydro Pump Primarina!"

The Kingdra on the ice field lifted its head and began to spin around fast, creating a massive twister. Primarina added to its attack power by directing its Hydro Pump at the twister which was moving at high speed at the weakened Venasaur and Claydol that has been battling them.

"Disperse it with Hyper Beam Claydol."

Claydol lifted both its arms and fired the Hyper Beam from them which hit the twister. But Primarina and Kingdra would not allow it to disperse. Primarina pressed on harder with Hydro Pump while Kingdra spun faster. This rendered the Hyper Beam to be nullified though Kingdra took minor damages from the shockwave of it. Nevertheless, it pressed on with the twister which sucked in Venasaur and Claydol, tossing them around before dispersing it.

Venasaur and Claydol landed hard on the ice. The referee took one look at them and made his decision. "Venasaur and Claydol are unable to battle. Kingdra and Primarina win the battle. Therefore, Elite Four Reika will be the one moving on to the next round."

"There you have it folks! Once again, the Heiwa Elite Four show that they mean business by swiftly defeating their opponents! While Spenser of the Battle Frontier put up a great fight, he is no match for the mermaid of Heiwa." The MC jested.

Reika gave the audience a small wave with a dazzling smile and recalled her pokemon. "Thanks a lot you two. I'll let you two swim in the hotel pool later."

"That was some strength and elegance you displayed back there." Spenser remarked as he and Reika met in the middle of the field to shake hands. He peered closely at her. "But, I sense that your soul was broken and rebuilt repeatedly to obtain that strength."

Reika's eyes darkened slightly but she brushed it off with a genuine smile. "It wasn't easy. But everything was worth it. I'll do what I did again if it means protecting the people I care about."

Spenser nodded in approval. "You have a good heart. I pray that you will never lose it no matter how dark the shadows are."

"Thank you." Reika bowed respectfully, grateful for Spenser's words. When she lifted her head, she caught sight of Arata and Daimen watching from the stands instead of the VIP box. She grinned at them and waved to indicate that she wanted to meet up at the locker room. They replied with brief nods and quickly left before anyone caught on with who they are.

As it turns out, they were not the only ones watching Reika's match. A certain coordinator and her orange hair friend were watching and sneering at her.

"Mermaid of Heiwa. Hah! There can only be one mermaid and water master and that's me!" Misty spat out as she and May exited the stadium.

"Exactly. I heard that she is also a Top Coordinator. But with how her Pokemon were moving just now, it was anything but a Top Coordinator's performance." May sneered in return. "I'm sure that I can do better than that. I mean, I am more famous than her. They only know her as the Mermaid of Heiwa and Top Coordinator. I am the Princess of Hoenn!"

Misty patted the younger girl on the shoulder to calm her down. "Don't worry. Once I face her in the tournament, I will show her that I am the only one qualified to be a Mermaid Water Master. And you can prove to everyone that you are the better coordinator at the special Pokemon Contest after the third round."

"I couldn't agree more." May's sneer grew.

Not too far away, Mia scoffed as she eavesdropped on them. Vulpix looked at her worriedly, wondering if she will confront the two girls.

"Don't worry Vulpix. I'm not as stupid as to unleash my wrath here and now as I would have in the past." Mia rolled her eyes, patting it reassuringly. "I'll wait for the right moment to show them up. I'm sure Reika and the others will want a turn to help Red vindicate himself. And Lara is having the first honors with Brock the Pewter City Gym Leader, ironically enough."

Vulpix growled lightly at the mention of the name of the fairy type gym leader. None of them had forgotten or forgiven her for what she had done to their mistress despite no longer part of Team Dawn. Mia proceeded to rub its head to sooth it.

"Don't bother about it. I don't like it any more than you do. Although, I can't quell my curiosity at how she will fare against a trainer who is presumably using the same drug her father created. However, Muraku and the others will be there too." She said the last part in disdain. "I'll just watch the match tomorrow in my room."

"Vul~" Vulpix hummed, understanding its mistress' sentiments.

* * *

Meanwhile, Reika met up with Arata and Daimen at the locker room and were now headed over to Red's hideout where he had asked for them and the Heiwa gym leaders. When they got there, they were worried when they saw the serious expression on the Champion's face and the article he was reading from the TV. Muraku and Lara were exchanging uncertain looks while the other gym leaders were scattered all around the room, each looking nervous.

"What's that article about?" Arata frowned as he slid in the chair beside the one Maddie had taken up.

"It's the Pewter City Drug Scandal." Daimen noted with a thoughtful look. "It was the reason why Forest is no longer the gym leader of the city."

"So why are we looking at this?"

"This is a clue that Mia gave me when I saw her after her match yesterday." Red explained, earning gasps from Muraku and Arata.

"You saw her?!"

"It's more like she asked me to see her. It turns out, she had some info against Brock for me."

Lara raised a questioning eyebrow but narrowed her eyes when she realized what Mia told Red. "So I'm guessing that Brock had something to do with the drug scandal. And Mia found out some clues about it which is somehow connected Team Dawn."

Everyone looked at her in shock and confusion. Muraku was the first to understand what she meant. "Of course! If it was just Brock involved in the case, you would not have called all of us here."

"But what does Team Dawn has to do with Brock?" Wataru asked with a worried frown. "I thought we already shut down all of their operations."

"I am not entirely sure if Team Dawn still has cells operating, but all Mia can confirm is that Brock is likely using a drug similar, if not, the Dark Serum." Red told them, folding his arms across his chest thoughtfully. "And since Brock's next match is against Lara tomorrow, and none of us have any matches at that time, we should go and watch it. This way, we can have 100% confirmation if Brock is using the Dark Serum or not."

Everyone exchanged looks. All of them were afraid to face the possibility of more Team Dawn activity in the region again for the third time. The first time was bad enough, the second time had nearly created a scare in the region. If Team Dawn was appearing for a third time, and during the Millennium Tournament, the entire region will go into chaos again.

"We have to watch the match."

Everyone looked at Yuko in surprise as she had said it. She gave them a firm nod with determined eyes. "We have to confirm if it is the Dark Serum. Even if it is, we must stop Team Dawn again if they are planning to rise again. If it isn't, we stop Brock! We cannot let anyone taint our battlegrounds and we will not let him get away with what he did to Red!"

Everyone slowly smiled and nodded back. Red gave her a grateful nod. "Right! We must get ready if we want to expose Brock. Contact Region Defense and have them on standby in the stadium tomorrow. I'll speak with Lance before the match so that we can be prepared to arrest Brock once we gathered the evidence."

Arata then stood up and continued, "Once we have Brock in custody, I will help mom heal his pokemon. And we can be sure if it is the Dark Serum or some other drug. Either way, we'll make him pay."

Later, when everyone was leaving, Red unexpectedly asked Lara to stay back.

"I know that this is going to be hard for you Lara, but I need to hear it from you personally that you will do whatever it takes to stop Brock and possibly, Team Dawn again even if the memories hurt." Red said plainly.

Lara gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. "Don't worry Red, I will not let them pull me down. I will defeat Brock no matter what."

Red nodded in approval. "Thank you. And kick his butt out there. Don't show any mercy."

Lara's lips twitched into a sardonic grin. "Oh I will. And I will enjoy it on your behalf."

* * *

Over at the park, we find Cilan, Iris and Serena simply relaxing with their pokemon. Despite the former two having their round 2 battles in the upcoming two days, they had decided to give their pokemon a break. Serena had joined them since Clemont was busy with his own training elsewhere with Bonnie supporting him. The group had come to a consensus that it was better for them to train separately while gathering as much information on Brock's group as possible. This way, not only will they keep their surprises for the tournament a surprise, they can help keep an eye out on Brock and the others better.

"Man, it's only the second round and the tournament is still getting tougher and tougher." Iris yawned with Fraxure nodding in agreement. They were lounging underneath a large tree.

"It can't be helped; 300 participants have been narrowed down to 150. The first round eliminated a lot of the trainers so those entering the second round and beyond will be tough." Cilan chuckled nervously. He smiled and held up one finger. "Even so, it's good that we are resting now. Continuously practicing and battling will wear us out soon and we can't do our best when it is our turn."

"Yeah, and I'll be glad when the third round break comes. Serena, you are participating in the Pokemon Showcase then, right?" Iris turned to the honey blond girl.

Serena chuckled nervously and scratched her cheek. "As the Kalos Queen, I have to participate. But thankfully, I can partake in the regular proceedings instead of waiting for the finals like I usually have to in the Master Class."

"Then what about the Pokemon Contests?"

"I'm still thinking about it…"

"Of course she wouldn't."

The trio jerked their heads up and their faces morphed into disgust when they saw that it was Dawn who said it. Max and her Piplup were also with her with smug looks.

"What do you want Dawn?" Iris asked in annoyance.

"I just came here to tell her," Dawn jerked her thumb at Serena and sneered. "That I will win the special Pokemon Contest and you won't make me lose again."

Serena narrowed her eyes. "What happened during the Hearthome Contest was not my fault. I did warn you beforehand that your Piplup's Ice Beam cannot be used with your Quilava's Fire Pledge. Their power levels are too different that it created an unstable chain reaction."

"But it was your idea!" Dawn accused.

"Which you tried to steal. You used my idea for your Appeal Round and failed, that's why I had to change my performance at the last minute." Serena reminded her in annoyance. "And when I first mentioned the idea to you, I did warn you of what I said just now. It is not my fault that you did not heed my warning and failed."

Dawn's face twisted into an ugly glare and sneered at her. "I will defeat you at the contest and humiliate you just as you humiliated me!"

"And I will beat you two and win the Millennium tournament!" Max jeered next.

Cilan and Iris narrowed their eyes and stood up so that they appeared taller than him. They glared down at him, making him cower slightly.

"If you think that we will let you step over us, you are wrong. We will defend our pride as trainers, Gym Leader and Champion." Iris warned him.

"And we will avenge Ash and vindicate him from the shameful way you treated him." Cilan added determinately.

"Then we'll beat all of you and prove that you are as weak as Ash right here and right now! Sceptile!" Max rashly sent out his starter which was poised to attack the three of them. Instantly, all their pokemon who were watching their trainers gathered in front of them to shield them. The leaves on Sceptile's arms glowed green and it leaped at the group of pokemon.

"Enough!"

A bluish light eloped Sceptile and stopped it midair. A male Darmanitan lumbered out of the trees with a tan man behind it. He had cream colored hair that was tied into a ponytail and black eyes. He was wearing a blue shirt and white vest over it. He also had black trousers and black shoes. A yellow badge shaped like a police badge was pinned to his belt with a four point star in the middle of it.

"W-Who are you?!" Max demanded.

"Region Defense." The man flashed his badge. "As the police force of this region, I must insist that you discipline yourself and your pokemon and refrain from attacking other trainers like that outside the tournament!"

Dawn and Max flinched at intensity of the man's glare. The Sceptile was hastily recalled and they made their retreat.

"Who knew that this region had so many scary people?" Dawn wailed once they were far away.

"I hate it here! Once we are done with the Millennium Tournament, I'm going to challenge the Heiwa league and tell them what I think about their region!" Max declared angrily.

"And I have to win that special Pokemon Contest to get my revenge on her." Dawn muttered under her breath.

Behind her, Max sneered at the older girl. 'In your dreams. I'll make sure that you will not win the special Pokemon Contest so that May can win.'

* * *

 **The backstabers will be backstabbed. Next chapter will explore Region Defense a bit and the match between Lara and Brock.**

 **P.S. I borrowed the characters of a different anime for the characters in Region Defense. See if you can guess which anime it is from the description from the one in this chapter. (More characters of Region Defense will appear in the next chapter so you can also guess from there if you can't figure out here.)**


	12. Region Defense

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

 **So I said that the Characters of Region Defense are from another anime. If you can guess which one, kudos to you.**

* * *

Region Defense, the region's police force which was set up on Red's idea after he became the champion. It consists of four divisions with each of them based in one area: Raimon in the East, led by Endou; Teikoku, led by Kidou, takes care of the South Area; Seidouzan in the West, their leader being Gouenji; and Hakuren located in the North, led by Fubuki.

For the Millennium Tournament however, a temporal HQ has been established on Mt. Harmony not too far from Red's hideout. Several members of RD have also been invited to participate in the tournament. The heads of the Divisions and several trusted members who were not participating in the tournament will be maintaining the amity and safety of the visitors from there while the remaining members remained in their respective areas, resuming their duties.

The leader of Seidouzan is currently heading back to the HQ with his Darmanitan lumbering behind him. The HQ is nothing more than a medium sized white building located on a large ledge not too far from Red's hideout.

When he entered after recalling his pokemon, he was greeted with the sight of the various members of Region Defense gathered around the battle field where a practice match between the leaders of Raimon and Hakuren, Endou and Fubuki.

Endou's Bastidon and Fubuki's Weavile were clashing in the middle, their trainers shouting encouragements. The younger members watching the match were cheering on the two leaders from the sidelines, especially the Raimon and Hakuren members.

The white-haired man shook his head with a small smile and joined his last colleague who was probably watching from the office instead. Sure enough, the 'commander' of the Teikoku division was in his pristine corner of the office, watching the match from the tinted window that showed the battlefield. He was wearing a white shirt and red tie with a black coat. He also had matching black pants and red shoes. His hair is brown and in dreadlocks which was tied in a half ponytail. His eyes were covered with large green goggles with white frames.

However, Gouenji soon noticed the Dark Type Heiwa Elite who was also watching the match beside Kidou. He was not too surprised at his appearance since Muraku's duty is to coordinate with Region Defense to maintain the peace of Mt. Harmony for the duration of the tournament.

It didn't take long for Kidou to notice him. He gave him a small nod and turned to the Dark Type Elite. "Gouenji is back."

Muraku turned and greeted him with a smile. Gouenji returned the smile with his and joined them at the window. "So, what brings you here? Last I checked, we have no major incidents coming up and the roasters for patrol have been set."

Muraku's face darkened and continued to stare out of the window. "I wanted to wait until you came back to talk to you guys. It's important. Do you think Endou and Fubuki would mind if I interrupted their match?"

Kidou and Gouenji frowned and exchanged glances. The former removed himself from his position and headed to the door. "I'll go and get them."

Gouenji casted the younger man a glance and noted how tensed he was. He frowned at that. The last time he saw Muraku this tensed was right after he had his big argument with Mia. And before that, it was when Team Dawn was wreaking havoc in the region again. He desperately hoped that the reason for the Dark Type Elite's anxiety was because of the first and not the second. Even so, logic told him that Muraku would not come all the way here to talk about Mia.

"Yo! Muraku." Endou greeted when he, Kidou and Fubuki came in. "Kidou told us that you have something important to tell us?"

Endou was a young man with tan skin, though it was slightly lighter than Gouenji's. He had dark brown spikey hair with an orange head band and black eyes. He wears a white jacket with orange stripes running down the sides and an orange shirt underneath. He also wears dark jeans and white and orange sneakers.

Fubuki is a handsome man with teal-grey droopy eyes and spikey grey hair. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a blue jacket, green pants and brown shoes.

Muraku managed a slightly strained smile. "Sorry for interrupting your match. However, I need to ask for your help to apprehend a criminal after Lara's match tomorrow."

All four leaders were taken aback and exchanged glances. Gouenji was the first one to speak. "What criminal are we talking about?"

"Brock, Gym Leader of Pewter City."

Endou and Fubuki blinked, Gouenji frowned, and Kidou narrowed his eyes. Finally, Endou slowly spoke up as the default leader among the four leaders. "Muraku, do you have any proof of this accusation? We want to believe you but we have to remain impartial in our judgement and not act on this just because Red hates him."

"I understand." Muraku blinked. "Prove to my words lies in how Brock's pokemon acts tomorrow. Mia…she contacted Red and gave reason for Red to believe that Brock is using a drug that might be or is similar to the Dark Serum."

Instantly, all four of them tensed. Endou tapped his finger on his desk thoughtfully and closed his eyes, nodding slowly. "I understand. We cannot arrest Brock or act on your accusation as we don't have proof now. But, as members of Region Defense, we have a duty to protect the people of Heiwa. Since we have the suspicion that Team Dawn is involved, we have to be involved as well."

Gouenji and Fubuki exchanged nods in agreement. Kidou folded his arms in thought. "As much as I hate to admit it, we don't have any choice. Red established Region Defense to help the Gym Leaders protect Heiwa. We cannot let him down on this." He went back to his desk and started typing on his laptop. "I'll check our patrol roaster and make the necessary arrangements. I'll leave the debriefing to the rest of you."

"Ok." Endou nodded. He turned to Muraku and said, "Can we meet up with you and Red tomorrow an hour before the match at the stadium to finalize the plans?"

"Sure." Muraku nodded.

Endou offered a comforting grin at him and patted his shoulder. Once he and Fubuki filed out to debrief the rest of the Region Defense members, Gouenji walked Muraku out.

"How are you holding out?" The blond-haired man casually asked.

"Better than some, I think." Muraku smiled wryly. "I think Arata nearly fainted when Red mentioned the possibility of Team Dawn being back."

"You know how distressful this possibility is, especially for him." Gouenji gently reminded him. "All of us carry scars of Team Dawn when they first started terrorizing the region, but Arata carries more than any of us. And his former position as Champion only added to the stress when they came back the second time."

"I know." Muraku sighed.

"On another note, how are things with you and Mia?" Gouenji inquired. Unsurprisingly, Muraku grimaced and did not answer right away. Gouenji sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. "From the look of your face, I can guess that it's not good at all."

"She's been avoiding us since the tournament started and none of us want to confront her." Muraku sighed again, running his fingers through his hair. "So far, she's only approached Red and that was to give us that info about Brock."

"It sounds like she doesn't want to see you guys because she still hates Lara." Gouenji huffed in realization. "I can't fault her since I would do the same in her place. You don't understand how she feels about Lara being easily accepted and forgiven after what she did to her…"

"I get it." Muraku cut him off. "I've thought about it a lot ever since Mia left Heiwa. I was very insensitive to how she felt about Lara joining us and got angry whenever she tried to talk about it with me. It was wrong and I paid the price for it."

"You know, every mistake has to have an apology for it to be fixed." Gouenji spoke evenly.

Muraku contemplated over his words and realized his biggest mistake. His teeth clenched tightly together. "You're right. Thanks for the advice."

"Glad to help." Gouenji smiled.

* * *

While Muraku went to seek out Region Defense for their assistance for a potential arrest, Red had another agenda in mind. He was headed to the Kanto's League's penthouse level in the Battle Hotel to seek out Lance. Despite his and his friends' determination to stop Brock, he knew they had overlooked a very important thing: diplomatic matters. For the Heiwanians to arrest Brock who is from Kanto and a Gym Leader at that, he needed to have a talk with the Champion of Kanto and Mr. Goodshow.

He knocked on the penthouse door and Karen opened it. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Any reason why the Champion of Heiwa would visit us?"

"I need to speak with Lance."

"For?"

"Important diplomatic things regarding a match tomorrow."

Karen frowned at that and glanced back inside briefly before turning back to him. "Lance is not in now."

Red knew that she was lying. Instead of calling out on it however, he chose to simply reply calmly. "Alright. I'll go and talk to Mr. Goodshow instead. Please tell him that what I wanted to speak with him about is important enough to warrant a potential arrest of a Gym Leader of Kanto. If he has any problems with it, he won't be able to do anything because I am sure that Mr. Goodshow will approve what I am about it do. It will be his own fault for not wanting to see me when he had to chance."

Ignoring Karen's shock look, he headed back to the lift. However, as he was entering, a hand grabbed his shoulder. Red smirked and cocked his head back at the slightly fuming fellow Champion.

"Hello Lance. It's funny how quick you managed to get back here when Karen said that you're out." Red joked.

"What is this about Red?" Lance fumed. "If this is about Mia…"

"No, it isn't." Red reassured him. "It's about Brock. I did say we want to arrest a Gym Leader from Kanto, not Johto."

Lance relaxed slightly but that did not erase the tension in his face. "What is it about Brock that you need to arrest him? As far as I know, he has a clean track record despite his brother being a criminal."

Red tensed at the mention of Forrest being called a criminal at the expense of his brother's schemes. However, he forced himself to remain calm. It will not do to get angry in case he accidentally reveals his true identity to Lance which will ruin the whole plan. He gestured for Lance to step in the lift with him so that they can talk privately.

"I have been given reason to suspect that Brock has been using a drug which was developed by Team Dawn in this tournament." Red stated, noting how Lance's face morphed into disbelief.

"That is a bold accusation you are making there. Do you have any prove to back it up?"

"This." Red pulled out his tablet computer and opened up the file of Brock's first round match. Thanks to Arata's advice, he had reviewed the match Mia mentioned about and extracted the video as evidence if needed to convince Lance or Mr. Goodshow of Brock's drug usage. He played it and paused at the right moment.

Tapping on the screen to enlarge it, he showed the grainy image to Lance who squinted his eyes to see carefully.

"As you probably noticed, Brock's pokemon exhibit symptoms such as dark look in its eyes and visible veins. These symptoms are consistent with the Dark Serum that Team Dawn used." He opened a report on Team Dawn from eight years ago. After reading through it, Lance's frown deepened.

"If this is the case, then we should be the ones taking action against him. I can get the G-Men to arrest him tomorrow…"

"I am afraid I cannot let you do that." Red cut him off sternly. "Anything that is remotely related to Team Dawn has to be handled by us."

To put emphasis on his point, he pulled out two documents and gave it to Lance. "When Mr. Goodshow wanted to establish the Heiwa League here eight years ago, one of the conditions that Arata stipulated was that no outsider of the region is allowed to handle the matters of Team Dawn without his, the Elite Four and Gym Leaders' permission. Also, to hold the Millennium tournament here, Mr. Goodshow and I came to the agreement that should we find suspicious activity pertaining to Team Dawn, the Heiwa League is allowed to take action on it, regardless if it is from an outsider or someone from Heiwa."

Lance's eyes became wide and scanned through the documents. Sure enough, everything that Red stated was true. Begrudgingly, he knew that he had no choice on the matter but to surrender the matter to Red. There was something intriguing him though.

"Why did you bother to take your time to tell me about this?" He asked the black-haired champion. "You could have just gone to Mr. Goodshow to inform him about this and not tell me at all."

Red shrugged at that. "Brock may be a criminal and disgrace to all trainers, but I respect you too much to allow you to be made a fool tomorrow. Now that I have told you about our plans, you know what you must do."

The lift came to a stop on Red's floor so he stepped out. But a thought occurred to him that made him stop and cock his head back at Lance. "By the way, when I first came to find you, why did you think that it was about Mia?"

Lance narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "It's nothing serious. But I thought that what you wanted to talk about was about Mia's attitude towards the Heiwa League personnel. She has been very cold and unwelcoming to the other Johto Gym Leaders save for Pryce. I thought that she did something to infuriate you and the others."

Red raised an eyebrow at him. "No offence Lance, but Mia has her reasons for that."

Lance frowned at him questioningly but his eyes widened when he understood what he meant. "Team Dawn?"

At Red's nod, that was the answer he needed.


	13. vs Crobat & Steelix (Part 1)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

* * *

This was it. Tomorrow, Red will watch as Lara delivers his retribution to Brock in their match. He was currently in his room in the Battle Hotel mentally going over his checklist of what they needed to do before tomorrow.

 _Have Region Defense on standby *Check*_

 _Ensure that the diplomatic matters are settled *Check*_

 _Draw up a plan to ensure Brock's arrest while ensuring the safety of the visitors if he is guilty *Check, but will have to go through it with Region Defense tomorrow.*_

"Hm…" He could tell that he's forgetting something but what…

"Hey Pikachu, am I forgetting something?" He asked his faithful companion.

Pikachu folded its arms thoughtfully as well. "I think we are forgetting something. But I can't think of what."

Red sighed and went through his mental list again. When he came up with no explanation, he started pacing around his room. "Diplomatic and security matters have been settled. The plan to arrest Brock has also been established. Arata, Reika, Daimen and Muraku are now working on the finer details of stadium. So what am I forgetting?" He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Hey Red." Professor Darcy called with a knock. "Your friend Gary is here."

Red exchanged a slightly surprise look with Pikachu but smiled. "Alright I'm coming. Come on Pikachu. Maybe Gary has an idea of what we're missing."

"Yeah." Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder as Red went out to the living room to greet his longtime rival and friend. Said friend was frowning as he glared at the piece of paper in his hands.

"Sup Gary."

Gary looked up from the paper and managed a tired smile. "Hey Red."

"Is this a social visit or business?" Red asked as he sat down on the couch opposite of him. Pikachu hopped off Red's shoulders and onto the seat beside his trainer.

"Both." Gary admitted, placing the paper beside him. From Red's angle of view, he could make it out to be one of the official forms used for the Heiwanian government offices. But for what, he could not tell. "What's that for?"

"Oh, this?" Gary glanced at the paper and sighed. "It's an appeal form to conduct long term research on the pokemon at the Fairview Pokemon Reserve."

"Oh…wait, appeal?"

"My first attempt was rejected." Gary gave him a wry smile. "Something about not having the necessary credentials. And no." he held up his hand before Red could open his mouth. "I'm not asking you to help me get approval."

"Ok." Red shrugged. "But can I give you a bit of advice for that? Go talk to Nick. The reserve is located in the sub-area he's in charge of. You need his permission before the officials will agree to let you do your research there."

Gary blinked and nodded slowly. "Ok…Thanks for that."

"So, we're down to business?" Red asked, once the matter was settled.

"Yes. Tomorrow is Brock's match against one of your gym leaders, one of the strongest I might add. So we were wondering if there was anything planned at all."

"I can't really say much since it has been classified as a Region Threat, but things are going to get very messy that it is best that you and Professor Oak stay away from Stadium 3 tomorrow." Red admitted.

Gary instantly became concerned and leaned in. "What's going on Red?" When Red did not answer, he pressed on. "Is it about the rumors about Brock using drugs on his pokemon?"

Red looked at him sharply. "What do the rumors say and when did it started?"

"Exactly as I said. And it has been going on for a year, give or take."

Red sighed in relief. If they had been going on for that long, it will mean that their plans were not leaked out. Even if they were, he doubted that Brock would take any notice of it since he had continued using drugs despite the rumors.

Red contemplated on telling Gary the whole story of what was going to happen tomorrow, but going behind Arata and the Elite's back was the last thing he wanted to do. He had worked hard to earn their trust as they had earned his, so he cannot spill everything to Gary.

"It's complicated. But I promise that you'll know everything by the end of the day." Red merely said.

Gary eyed Red critically. As much as he wanted to know what was going on, he understood Red's need to keep the secrecy. So, he closed his eyes and nodded. "Alright then. I trust that you know what you are doing. Do Cilan and the others know about this too?"

Much to his surprise, Red and Pikachu's eyes widened and slapped their foreheads in unison.

"That's what I was forgetting!" Red exclaimed angrily but more towards himself for forgetting about the friends who genuinely cared for him.

"You forgot to tell them to stay away from Brock's match tomorrow?" Gary hesitantly asked. At Red's silence and Pikachu's nod, he groaned. "You better get ahold of them and explain the situation to them now."

* * *

 _The next day_

Red and Muraku arrived at Stadium early that morning to meet up with Endou and Kidou to go through the plan with them. Muraku was especially tensed for multiple reasons which Red did not feel like going through now. Instead, his mind wandered back to the night before when he met up with Cilan, Iris, Clemont, Serena and Bonnie. They were slightly upset and put out by his request. Nevertheless, he managed to convince them to stay away from the stadium by bringing up the fact that Clemont's match was coincidentally held around the same time. So, the group had finally agreed to watch Clemont's match instead on the condition that Red stays safe. After hearing about his exploits with Team Dawn and their own experience, they were not taking any chances with Red's heroic shenanigans.

"Morning Red." Endou greeted him when they arrived at the meeting room in an isolated part of the stadium. "What's the plan?"

Red nodded in greeting and placed his tablet on the table. "For starters, we don't want any civilian casualties if we can help it. We have no idea how Brock will retaliate if we try to arrest him right after match."

"If his pokemon does show signs of the Dark Serum." Kidou reminded them. "We can only take real action after that. If not, we cannot."

"We know. But I know that Mia will not tell us about this unless it is real. I know that past footages of minor signs of the symptoms is not enough to constitute as real proof for you, but I trust Mia's intel. Today, we will get the proof needed for his prosecution." Muraku guaranteed him and bent over to open up the files regarding the plans on the tablet. When he was not looking, Red, Kidou and Endou exchanged looks.

"So the plan for now is to minimize the number of civilians in the audience. This means that all available Region Defense members must be in the stands, namely in the first rows. If Brock decides to retaliate, it will most likely be with his Pokemon. Region will be the first line of defense should that happen. And the gym leader will be spread out further up in the stands in case his friends try to help him or any of Brock's Pokemon's attacks slip past Region Defense's line of defense. Us Elites will have our pokemon guarding all exits while we monitor the stadium from the control room and Red will be monitoring the situation from the high stands."

"That might work." Kidou mused and looked down at his watch. "We have two hours before the Stadium opens. I'll gather our members and have them in position."

"I'm going to do a final check on the stadium." Red decided. "I'll see you guys later after this."

* * *

 _"Welcome everyone to the first match of the day. Here in Stadium 3 we have our own local Fairy-type Specialist, Lara, facing Kanto's Rock-type Specialist, Brock on the rocky field!"_

The platforms raised, revealing said trainers. Brock had an arrogant air around him while Lara had a calm one. Both clutched their pokeballs in their hands tightly.

Up where he was watching the field, Red clenched his fist at the sight of the former friend he used to look up to as a brother. Pikachu sparked dangerously as well on his shoulder.

"Red, calm down." A gentle hand touched his free shoulder.

Red nearly jumped at the touch but he knew who it was well enough. Funny that he didn't sense her though. Instead, he frowned at her while petting Pikachu to calm him down.

"Anabel, what are you doing here? I thought I sent you a message to stay away from the stadium."

Anabel lightly smiled and leaned on the railing beside him. She was dressed casually like Red (Pokemon Battle Frontier photographer outfit). "I decided to ignore it. You need a friend by your side today and I'm going to stick with you."

"But if anything goes wrong…"

"Ash, do you remember how our first battle went?" Anabel challenged, raising an eyebrow.

Red was visibly taken aback by her use of his real name but Pikachu sniggered, sensing what Anabel was trying to do. Eventually, Red saw what she was trying to say and sighed. "Yes, you beat me and I know that you are a strong trainer. But I did not ask you to stay away because I think you are incapable of taking care of yourself."

"Oh?" Anabel looked at him enquiringly.

"I just don't want to lose anymore friends." Red said softly. Pikachu and Anabel shared understanding frowns at Red's feelings. Despite hating his former friends for turning their back on him, they saw how it hurt Ash to lose his friends like that. Now he feared losing the ones that he currently has.

Anabel squeezed his shoulder tightly in reassurance. "Red, I'm not going to leave you any time soon and I won't let anything happen to let that happen. You need me, you need Cilan and the others to get through this and we will help you with that whether you like it or not."

Red stared at her and then smiled. "Thanks Anabel."

Anabel smiled back and they shifted their focus back to the field. But they immediately had concerned frowns when they saw the match up. Lara had Sylveon and Mawile out while Brock had Steelix and Crobat.

"Lara is going to have to give 120% if she wants to win over the type disadvantage. Crobat is a huge danger to Sylveon and Steelix is resistant to their Fairy Type attacks." Red spoke while Pikachu nodded in agreement.

Anabel did not say much about his comment but peered closely at the pokemon down below. "I don't know. I can sense that something is off about Brock's pokemon."

Red looked at Anabel sharply and then shifted his gaze back on to the field. True enough, even without Anabel's empathetic abilities, one can see how agitated and pained Steelix and Crobat were despite hiding it well.

"What do you think is going on? Besides a possible Dark Serum influence?"

"I'm not sure. I've never seen a pokemon exposed to small doses of the Dark Serum for a prolonged period and not show any effects of it…until now." Red narrowed his eyes.

"I don't like where this is going." Anabel whispered.

"Neither do I. But Lara is not going to let Brock a chance to use that serum again, that's for sure." Red said resolutely, knowing that it was true because of her history with Team Dawn.

Down on the field, Lara made the first move by having Sylveon use its feelers to fling Mawile up so that it can use Sucker Punch at Steelix's face. This cause the Iron Snake pokemon to be pushed back a few inches. Sylveon then attacked Crobat with Fairy Wind. It may not be affective, but the force of the wind caused Crobat to lose its balance in the air and crash into Steelix's body. Steelix stumbled backwards with the force of the impact.

"Get up!" Brock ordered with a growl. "They are just puny Fairy pokemon! Show them what you can do!"

Lara narrowed her eyes darkly at him and almost everyone in the stands could swear that they heard swords sharpening behind her.

"You know, if I didn't hate Brock a lot now, I would have sympathized him." Red muttered in amusement.

Anabel nodded in agreement. "The protectiveness of every trainer for their pokemon against insults."

"It's worse with Lara given her past with Team Dawn and Brock using drugs on his pokemon." Red sighed. Down below, Steelix had tried to retaliate by crushing Sylveon partially with Iron Tail. Even after the attack diminished, Steelix did not budged and allowed its tail to trap a struggling Sylveon.

"Mawile, save Sylveon with Crunch!" Lara desperately called. Mawile opened its jaws which were gleaming darkly and brought them down on Steelix's tail.

"Crobat, take that Crunch!"

Much to the horror of most of the audience and Lara, Crobat obeyed and flew right into Mawile's jaws and allowed them to sink the Crunch into its body.

"He is crazy!" Lara gasped and clenched her fist tightly. "You've forced me to do this. Keep your grip on Crobat, Mawile! Sylveon, use Shadow Ball to free yourself!"

Despite Crobat frantically flapping its wings to free itself from Mawile's powerful jaws, the latter kept a firm grip as per its trainer's instructions, digging its feet in the group to gain some foothold. Sylveon on the other hand formed the Shadow Ball in its mouth and launched it straight at the Iron Snake's tail. Steelix flinched in pain and lessened the pressure on Sylveon. This allowed it to wiggle out and rejoin Mawile on their trainer's side of the field.

"Crobat, use Steel Wing to free yourself! Now!"

If Lara was shocked by Brock's harsh treatment towards his pokemon, she did not show it. Instead, she nodded at Mawile. Mawile nodded back and released Crobat and jumped away. Crobat, who was midway swinging its wings at Mawile while it was holding it stumbled midair and hit a rock instead. Smoke brew up in the field, obstructing Lara and her pokemon's view of Crobat and Steelix.

 _*ROAR! *_

Lara jumped at the pained roar that obviously came from Steelix. Fear rose from her gut and she warned her pokemon to be cautious. Suddenly, blades of Air Cutter flew out of the dust randomly. Lara narrowed her eyes for there was something not right about the attacks. They were too random and not specifically aiming for her pokemon.

"Sylveon, use your feelers and find Crobat. Grab ahold of it and don't let go."

The Ribbon Pokemon immediately complied, lest the Air Cutters get to the audience. It felt around the dust with its feelers and eventually managed to snag Crobat with them. It frowned when it sensed its emotions through the feelers and yanked it out of the dust cloud. It and its companion and trainer were shock to their core. Crobat's eyes were bulging with a wild look with dark veins visible in them. The same veins covered its body and it flapped its wings frantically around, nearly dragging Sylveon around if it weren't for Mawile holding on to it. The dust cloud died down and everyone gasped in shock and fright, for they could see that Steelix was in a similar state as Crobat but more wild and dangerous.


	14. vs Crobat & Steelix (Part 2)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

 **Author's note: I'm so sorry for not updating in a long time. But I've been very busy recently. I've just started my degree program a few month's back and I had midterms and assignments that I needed to deal with. This might be my last update this year. I may update again in Dec, but no guarantees.**

* * *

The two pokemon roared and trashed around in pain while sending attacks randomly around the field.

"Region Defense, get ready to evacuate the stadium!" Red yelled into his Xtransceiver which was connected to the four division leaders, Gym Leaders and Elite Four.

 _"Red wait!"_ Muraku quickly objected. _"Crobat and Steelix show no signs of targeting the audience yet. If we move in now, the audience will know that something is wrong. Region Defense and the Gym Leaders are only supposed to move in if Brock directs his pokemon to attack the audience. But now, they are acting purely on instinct."_

 _"If they put two and two together, that we're subduing pokemon who strangely reverted back to their primitive nature, they will find out about the Dark Serum and that Team Dawn is back."_ Arata realized.

Red silently cursed under his breath, knowing that Muraku and Arata were right. Region Defense and the Gym Leaders were getting antsy at the lack of orders from Red. Lara was trying her best to get Crobat and Steelix's attention on her pokemon. On the other side of the field, Brock was trying to get his pokemon under control in vain. The more he yelled harsh words at them, the more aggressive they became.

"…Alright, we'll let Lara handle it. But remain on standby and keep up your guard. The moment they start attacking the audience, we go on defense." Red decided, his hands drifting to his pokeballs on his belt and Pikachu's cheeks sparked in anticipation. The members of Region Defense and the Gym Leaders calmed slightly, but like Red instructed, they remained tense and held on to their pokeballs tightly as well. Even Anabel copied the gesture.

"Mawile, Sylveon, we have to stop them. It's time for extreme measures" Lara muttered to her pokemon who nodded in agreement. They knew how Lara felt and that she did not want to do what she must do. But she did not want Steelix and Crobat to suffer any longer because of her father's drug.

Taking a deep breath, Lara pulled out a Z-ring with a Key Stone and Fairium Z crystal imbedded in it from her pocket and fastened it to her wrist. Mawile shifted its head jaw slightly, revealing a Mawilite Mega Stone clipped underneath it. Lara pressed on the Key Stone and it glowed. The Mawilite glowed as well in correspondence with the Key Stone.

"Mega Evolve Mawile!"

Tendrils of light crawled out of both stones and joined halfway. Mawile's body glowed as it Mega Evolved. Now, it had two sets of head jaws instead of one and magenta fur on its lower part of the body.

"Steelix, use Dragon Breath on them! Now!" Brock cried out frantically. He now recognized the threat and danger he was in for Lara was showing that she was serious now. However, Steelix continued to ignore its trainer and used Dragon Breath randomly, some of it coming too close to the audience for comfort.

"Sylveon, stop it with Moonblast! And Mawile, Iron Head on Crobat! Weaken them!" Lara cried out frantically. They had to stop them before they really get out of control and when that happens, everyone will find out that Brock is using the Dark Serum and find out about her past.

The real reason why she badly wanted to defeat Brock was not only because she wanted to stop her father's mistakes from resurfacing but also to prevent everyone outside the Heiwa League from finding out the truth about her past. If they did, not only will the reputation of the Heiwa League be destroyed, but she, Muraku and all her friends could lose their positions as Gym Leaders and Elite Four Trainers for hiding such a secret.

Sensing the desperation of their trainer, Sylveon and Mawile acted quickly. Sylveon fired the Moonblast at Steelix's face while Mawile leapt at Crobat and bashed it to the ground with Iron Head. While Crobat sustained some damage because of Iron Head, Steelix was barely fazed due to the move being ineffective against it. On the other hand, it served its purpose of drawing its attention back to them.

"Finish this up! Mawile, use Flamethrower at Steelix. Sylveon, back her up by distracting Crobat!"

Knowing that Crobat might instinctively get in Mawile's way to protect Steelix, sane or not, Sylveon once again grabbed Crobat with its feelers and held it in place. With the distraction out of the way, Mawile spun around so that its back was facing Steelix and opened both jaws. Out from them shot streams of fire from Flamethrower. Thanks to Mega Evolution giving it two sets of jaws, the Flamethrower was twice as powerful as a normal one. Steelix cried out in pain as the flames badly burned its body. Lara winced and offered a silent apology to it.

Steelix collapsed as the flames died down and the referee made the judgement. "Steelix is unable to battle."

Brock cursed as he recalled Steelix, muttering under his breath at the failure his pokemon is. He narrowed his eyes at Crobat who was still thrashing around in Sylveon's feelers. "Crobat, get out of there and defeat them! Show that you're not a weakling and failure like Steelix is!"

Unfortunately, his words only served to anger Crobat further. Lara seethed at its trainer, now realizing why Crobat and Steelix were acting so aggressive and agitated whenever Brock yelled at them.

"Enough!" She yelled at Brock across the field. "I know now why your pokemon are so afraid of you! You berate, scold, and treat them like tools! People like you are a disgrace to all trainers! It's no wonder your pokemon refuse to listen to you!"

Brock growled and waved his fist threateningly. "Shut up! I'll show you! I show you that I'm stronger than you are! I'm stronger now thanks to Ms. Ketchum showing me that I can be stronger without that brat called Ash Ketchum!"

Red instantly bristled at his words, clenching and unclenching his fist angrily, wishing that he could go down there and punch Brock. Pikachu too was very close to jumping down to the field and give Brock the shock of his life with his Thunderbolt. However, all thoughts of jumping down into the field left them when a calming hand was placed on Red's shoulder and Pikachu's head.

"Red, I know that you want to go down there and teach Brock a lesson. Trust me, I want to do that too." Anabel spoke calmly, sending soothing feelings to Pikachu and comforting Red by rubbing his shoulders. "But this is Lara's fight. And we will get justice for Steelix and Crobat. Brock cannot escape now that he showed his true colors towards his pokemon and to you."

With effort, Red took deep breaths to calm down. Pikachu was already calm thanks to Anabel's empathy. Both trainer and pokemon shared smiles, thankful that at least one of their friends was here to help them remain sane and sensible for the duration of the match even though they were against it in the beginning. Anabel smiled at them but it turned to a smirk when she looked back down at the field.

"Looks like Lara is finishing this up."

Indeed. Lara had activated her Z-Move for Sylveon. They moved in sync for the finishing pose and the Fairium Z crystal glowed, sending power to Sylveon.

"Twinkle Tackle!"

Sylveon flawlessly executed the Z-move on Crobat and it instantly fell on the ground, unable to get up.

"Crobat is unable to battle. Sylveon and Mawile wins. Therefore, the winner of this battle is Gym Leader Lara!"

While the small portion audience, who are the real audiences, cheered for the local gym leader's victory, Region Defense and the Gym Leaders were removing themselves from the stands to head down to the field to arrest Brock while some of them lingered behind.

"Come on. We got to get down there." Red murmured, pulling down his cap as Pikachu hopped on his shoulder. Anabel nodded and followed him as they left the stands.

* * *

Brock knew that he was in trouble the moment he recalled Crobat. Endou, Kidou and Gouenji approached him with their respective pokemon of Bastidon, Empoleon, and Darmanitan. And they were not happy.

"Gym Leader Brock, you are under arrest for the use of illegal drugs on your pokemon and for the obstruction of justice." Endou declared. The pokemon moving around to box him in. Brock's face contorted into anger and hate. He slowly raised his hands in an act of surrender. The trio were instantly suspicious at Brock's surrender. Unfortunately, they were right when Brock suddenly pulled out a pokeball from his sleeves and released Forretress.

"Explosion!"

The Forretress, being in an almost similar state to Crobat and Steelix but still able to take orders from Brock, glowed dangerously. Bastidon and Empoleon immediately moved to box in the explosion while Darmanitan grabbed all three trainers as it is the closest to them and shielded them as Foretress exploded.

Gasps were heard from the audience as the remaining Region Defense members rushed down to the field. Those who were coming in through the tunnels also rushed out to check on their division leaders. When the smoke cleared, Bastidon, Empoleon, and Darmanitan were injured but their trainers were safe. Brock however was nowhere in sight having escaped before the explosion.

"Endou! Kidou! Gouenji!" Red cried as he joined Region Defense in gently moving the injured pokemon aside to find the division leaders.

"We're fine." Endou coughed as he and his friends pushed themselves up from underneath Darmanitan. They quickly recalled their pokemon, promising to bring them to the pokemon center as soon as possible.

Red sighed in relief that the division leaders were unharmed but the relief turned to anger at Brock for attempting to kill his friends for his escape. He raised his Xtrans and yelled, "Arata, Brock escaped from the field! Where is he?"

 _"Hold on a sec. He's heading towards the southern exit but our pokemon are closing in on him."_ Arata suddenly paused and exploded in a string of curses. _"Oh Gosh! Dang it!"_

"What happened?!" Red demanded as he ran towards the southern exit.

" _Brock's Golems'! He had two and they used Self-Destruct in the middle of a crowded hallway!"_ Daimen growled furiously. It was rare for him to get riled up given his easy-going personality.

Red halted in his tracks in horror. "Any casualties?"

 _"None. But our pokemon took the brunt of the damage protecting the audience."_ Muraku reported somewhat calmly. But Red knew by now that the calmness belied his anger at the situation.

 _"We're going over to retrieve them. But I doubt we can go after Brock like this."_ He heard Reika say as there was scraping of chairs being pushed back as the Elite Four ran over to the southern exit to tend to their pokemon.

"I'll go after him then. He should only have one pokemon left." Red mused as he changed his direction to another closer exit.

"Be careful!"

* * *

"Damn Region Defense! Dawn and Max warned me about them. But I didn't expect them to catch on to me!" Brock cursed as he dialed Misty's number on his Pokegear and ducked into an alley. He impatiently waited for her to pick up while glancing around for anyone who would spot him.

"What?" Misty asked irritably.

"I need your help." Brock hissed. "Region Defense is after me!"

"For what?" Misty asked, still grouchy but a bit curious of what her friend/rival in tournament did to get arrested.

"I don't know!" Brock lied. "Just help me get of this blasted mountain!"

"No."

"What!?"

"I don't want to get caught helping you." Misty sneered. "I'm not risking my standing in the tournament to help you. You're on your own."

Brock growled as she hung up. How dare she turn her back on him!

"So, the betrayer gets betrayed. How ironic."

Brock jumped and spun at the speaker. "You!"

Red smirked back, Pikachu sparking on his shoulder. "Yes. Me. I'm the one who tipped Region Defense of your crimes. You just exposed them in the match."

"I'll get you for this!" Brock swore. "Get them Sudowoodo!"

Brock's Sudowoodo looked worse for the wear but no signs of the Dark Serum thankfully. But Red could tell that it had been neglected.

Anger boiled in him as he seethed at Brock's treatment of his pokemon. 'He uses the drugs on the pokemon that are stronger and neglects the ones he thinks is weaker. How low can he get?'

He shared a look with Pikachu. They must defeat Sudowoodo, but it will be out of mercy than spite. Pikachu hopped off Red's shoulder while giving Sudowoodo a slight apologetic nod. It returned it subtly and braced itself for Pikachu's attack.

"Hammer Arm!" Brock ordered. But Sudowoodo had enough of Brock's abuse and neglect that it willingly disobeyed Brock by not carrying out the order.

"Iron Tail, but don't be too hard." Red pleaded to Pikachu.

Pikachu nodded and its tail gained a metallic sheen. It swung it at Sudowoodo's head. Sudowoodo cried out in pain but had a relief smile as it fainted.

"Stupid pokemon!" Brock cursed as he recalled it.

Red had enough of Brock's treatment towards his pokemon. With an angry snarl, he lunged at the taller man, sweeping him off his feet and pinning his arms behind him when he was caught off guard.

"You are so sick Brock." Red whispered lowly in his ear. "I thought the worst of your transgressions was towards me that day in my mother's home. But to think that you would betray your own brother and pokemon for you own gain? You're despicable!"

Brock's eyes snapped open as understanding flooded him. The one who was responsible for his downfall today…and the champion of one of the strongest regions…was none other than the brat they scorned for being weak, Ash Ketchum, despite him denying it during the opening ceremony. He was in deep shock that he barely fought when Fubuki caught up with them and had his division members handcuff and shovel him into the back of the RD van he brought along.

"Take away his pokemon and make sure that Professor Darcy gets them, Yukimura. And see to it that he's locked up in the cells with maximum guard. If Team Dawn is behind this, they might break him out to prevent him from exposing them." He told his closest subordinate.

"Will do." Yukimura nodded and got into the van with his other teammate and they drove back to the RD HQ. Once they were alone, Fubuki turned to Red who was panting heavily to calm himself down from the adrenaline of confronting Brock. He tentatively touched the champion's shoulder.

"You ok?"

Red sucked a deep breath as Pikachu hopped back on his shoulders and nuzzled him to comfort him. Once he was calm, he nodded. "I will be."

Fubuki offered a gentle smile. "Region Defense can take care of things here. You can have the rest of the day off."

Red contemplated Fubuki's offer and nodded again. "Alright. Thanks. I'll be in my hideout if anyone needs me."

He called out Flygon and directed it to his hideout. Once inside, he released his pokemon to go to the forest. They looked at him in concern but Pikachu gestured for them to follow and give Red some privacy so they did, but not without leaving a light warning to Red to tell them everything once he can which he promised to.

He went to the bar and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He needed something strong to sort out the turmoil of emotions he was facing now.

"Mind if I join you?"

Red looked up and smiled tiredly at Anabel. He had nearly forgotten that she knew about his hideout that not even his friends from Kalos and Unova knew of…yet. But he figured he would keep this place a secret for now to have his privacy. Arata and the others knew not to come here unless called and he had no qualms with Anabel coming here unannounced though she usually gave a warning beforehand that she was coming.

"I don't know what to think." He said quietly as he pulled out two glasses and poured out the whiskey. "I was angry at Brock and the others all this time for turning their back on me. But to know that they did it for power, and the lengths Brock went to attain that…"

"It makes us mad." Anabel finished for him. "As trainers who care for our pokemon, it's hard for us to face the facts that people like Brock, who abuse and neglect their pokemon, exist."

"It's harder for me because I knew Brock for a long time. What made him change? What made him and the others want to turn their back on me that willingly?" Red lamented. He gulped down his whiskey in one go and allowed it to burn the back of his throat.

Anabel on the other hand slowly sipped the whiskey. "I don't think I can answer that. But please answer this honestly, how are you feeling?"

Red slowly refiled his glass but did not touch it. This was not the first time Anabel made him talk when he was drinking since the liquor loosen his reins on his emotions and words. He sighed. "I feel angry at Brock for everything he did to me and his pokemon. But at the same time, I felt relief. I told him who I was and he was shell-shocked. He never believed that I could make it to be champion of a league and yet, I proved him wrong. But when I was telling him, I felt afraid. I was making myself vulnerable as Ash to make him see what I've become."

Anabel nodded slowly. "I see. And what else?"

Red opened and closed his mouth, reluctant to reveal the last part. So Anabel urged him to drink his whiskey first as she finished her glass. He refiled for both and swirled his glass.

"I guess I'm sad deep down inside." Red finally admitted softly. "I've loved Brock and Tracy as my older brothers. I've loved Misty as my older sister. And Max, May and Dawn were like my little siblings. And I loved my mother. They were my family and friends."

"I'm sorry." Anabel squeezed his hand softly. "I cannot imagine what I'd do if the other Frontier Brains did that to me. They are not only my friends and co-workers, but my only family."

Red smiled gratefully at her. "It's fine. I've come to terms with it. But deep down inside, I guess there's a part of me that will always love them and want to forgive them."

"That's the thing about love I guess." Anabel mused. "It never lets the heart forget the ones it holds dear."

"I guess." Red sighed. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being there for me no matter what. You were there when I was lost and when I was at my lowest."

"But not at your best." Anabel quirked. "I missed your crowing as champion."

"It wasn't as important as the other two instances. There will always be times for 'best'." Red said dismissively. He tilted his glass at hers. "To friendship."

Anabel copied his gesture, clinking their glasses. "To friendship."

They gulped down their whiskey. But Anabel smiled sadly when he was not looking.

'I'll always be by your side no matter what. I stay with you not because of friendship, but more.'

* * *

 **I loved writing the Abilityshipping moment. I hope I did not make Brock overly villanous, but I was rushing to finish this chapter. And I hope you get more insight of how Red/Ash feels about his friends' betrayal.**

 **For the next few chapters, I will not be doing battles as I want to take a break from them and focus more on the characters and their development so everyone can understand them better.**


	15. Sunny Day

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

* * *

It has been a day after Brock's arrest and the Region Defense leaders and the Elites' pokemon have been fully healed with no lasting effects. But the arrest and Lara's battle were the hot topic and gossip of the tournament. Kanto and Heiwa's officials and Charles Goodshow have yet to release a statement. But Arata released a preliminary report regarding the events to the local news anchorage to satisfy their needs for a scoop so that they will leave them alone for the time being.

 _"In a report released by Elite Leader Arata, it has been confirmed that Kanto's Gym Leader Brock's pokemon have dangerously high levels of enhancement drugs in their bodies which caused them to revert back to their natural instincts in their battle against local Gym Leader Lara yesterday afternoon. The Elites and Gym Leaders confess they had received a tip off from an informant who wishes to remain anonymous hence their quick thinking and speedy reaction. Nothing has been heard yet from Kanto's side, but the Heiwa's League personnel intend to persecute Brock to the fullest for tainting our battlefields with his horrible actions, which is no surprise for us locals. We will bring you more information when we get them…"_

"I cannot believe something like this would happen!" Greta practically yelled from the Battle Frontier's table that morning when they watched the news in the Battle Hotel's dining room.

"Sh!" A passing waiter shushed her when other patrons glared at her. She ducked her head in embarrassment and her colleagues sighed.

"I cannot fault you there Greta." Tucker sighed dramatically. "He is an insult to all trainers!"

"I wonder if this is the reason why Ash disappeared five years ago." Noland stated the question that was in everyone's mind out loud.

"If it is, then it's no surprise that he became what he is today." Lucy spat out in disgust, but it was directed at Brock. It sickens her that the person whom she had a crush on could be that deceptive and awful, even if he still has those cute squinty eyes.

"This Ash person seems to have an impact on them from what I can observe." Argenta whispered to her Sinnoh colleagues as her Kanto colleagues continued talking about their concern for Ash.

"I am not surprise by that." Paul said curtly.

"Oh right, you were his rival. Tell us, what kind of person was he?" Dahlia asked.

"What I know of him in the past does not apply now." Paul merely said and left the table, ignoring the looks from his colleagues.

"I wonder what he meant by that." Darach frowned. "If I didn't know better, I would say that he knows what happened to this Ash Ketchum our Kanto colleagues fondly talks of."

"Leave it Darach." Palmer brushed it off. "This is between him and Ash. He knew him personally, so it does not matter to us. It's not our place to stick our noses in his business."

Thorton raised an eyebrow. "Oh? But didn't you battle Ash once before?"

"It was just once. Nothing compared to the rivalry between him and Paul." Palmer shrugged. His colleagues exchanged looks but knew they could not get Palmer to tell them more so they dropped it. Palmer closed his eyes and wondered if Paul had the same idea that he did regarding what Ash's friends did to him that made him the person that he was today. He was no fool despite what others may think. He knew that Ash and Red were the same person and that Paul knew this too. He had a suspicion that the Kanto branch also knew but never brought it up. And it very likely had something to do with his old friends if Brock's arrest was any indication.

The question is, what will Ash's former friends do now that Brock is arrested.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Battle Hotel's gardens, Reika was playing her guitar to her audience consisting of Red, Arata, Wataru, Atsuya and Yuko. The latter four were singing along with her while Red was content listening with Pikachu on his lap.

 _I'll never let you go_

 _Never let you go_

 _'Cause you mean so much to me_

 _My Best Friend~_

With the last note drawn, Red and Pikachu applauded. "Great song guys."

"You should join in Red. We're dying to hear you sing for once." Reika grinned, leaning lazily over her guitar.

"No thank you." Red returned with his own grin. After talking with Anabel the day before, he was fully recovered from the emotional stress of arresting Brock. Since none of the Heiwa Elites and Gym Leaders have any matches for the next three days, they were taking the opportunity to relax or train.

"Come on Red. You got to join in at least once. Right sis?" Atsuya jested, glancing at his sister, Yuko who nodded in agreement with a light smile.

"Please guys." Red held up his hands to slow their suggestions of singing. "I'm not that good of a singer and I don't like to be at the center of attention unless on the battlefield."

"Suit yourself." Reika shrugged, keeping her guitar in its case. But Arata could tell that she was slightly disappointed by Red's response.

"But if you want me to, I can help play the keyboard at your next concert at the Harmony Café later this week." Red offered, having sensed that too. Reika visibly brightened up at the offer and shook Red's hand.

"Deal."

"Um, Red, your four o'clock." Wataru suddenly spoke up nervously.

Red tensed and shifted his gaze at the direction Wataru indicated. Sure enough, Misty, Max and May were headed their way though they haven't spotted the group yet.

"Stay or head back to the hotel?" Arata quietly asked.

"Stay but hide." Red muttered back as they stood up and ducked behind a hedge.

"…The nerve of Brock to hide those drugs from us!" Max ranted. "Why didn't he tell us about them?!"

"Obviously because he didn't want us to split on him or use them against him." Misty sneered.

"Then I'm glad that he's arrested. I don't fancy being backstabbed by him." May rolled her eyes in disdain.

"Imagine that if we had to face him when his pokemon were having those drugs." Max shuddered. "We would not stand a chance."

"I'm glad that he's out of the way now. We can focus on bringing down the Heiwa Gym Leaders and Elites so that we can get to their Champion. I don't believe he was telling the truth that he's not Ash." Misty mused. The hidden group tensed and casted worried looks at Red. This is bad. Misty is suspicious of Red being Ash and Brock's arrest very likely started it.

"Oh please. Like that weakling can become a Champion." Max scoffed.

"It's possible though, if the rumors of the Heiwa being strong are fake." May laughed unkindly.

Instantly, the Heiwanian's bristled at May's insult. How dare she! She had no idea of what they had to go through to obtain their power and be what they are today. Red narrowed his eyes angrily at May's unkind words. He never would have told them to hide if he didn't know that she would say such things. He grabbed Arata's shoulder before he could make any rash moves and shook his head.

"Don't. Show them up during battle or contest. We'll only wreck our reputation if we confront them."

Arata scowled but took the Champion's words into consideration. He tapped his Xtransiver and whispered, "Code Blue*."

A few seconds later, a Kadabra and Claydol teleported before the group.

"Take us back to the Hotel lobby." Arata instructed as they huddled together with the pokemon. They nodded and teleported them straight to the Battle Hotel's lobby, startling some people but the hotel workers were not overly concerned.

"Thank you." Arata tossed two Poke Candies** at them which they gladly munched on before teleporting back to where they came from.

"A good day ruined by those idiots." Reika grumbled as she flopped down on an empty couch, mindful of her guitar though.

Yuko, Wataru and Atsuya sighed as they joined her. Arata frowned deeply and addressed Red. "Misty was not convinced by your words that night."

"I know." Red frowned as well. He gestured Arata to follow him into the lift and headed up to their floor. "But acting differently because of Brock's arrest and her words will only solidify that. I plan to keep on a low radar and go on with what I normally do."

"Ok." Arata nodded at the idea. He then gained a smirk. "So how are things between you and Anabel?"

"I would say that we're fine and we're still good friends, but I don't think that's the answer you are looking for."

"True." Arata rolled his eyes as Pikachu facepalmed. Despite maturing and becoming more perceptive towards others, Red was still dense about women, a trait that carried on from Ash.

'If only he knew about the bet that Atsuya's running. He won't be pleased especially since it's on whether he would get together with Anabel or Serena and how long it would take for him to enter a relationship with either of them.' Arata thought with a funny smile which he shared with Pikachu since he told it about the bet when it was made so that they can include his pokemon too. Instead of betting with money though, the pokemon wagered berries or items they collected. So far, it is a 50/50 between Serena and Anabel. The duration though varies.

Arata had not participated in the bet because he's staying true to his words to Anabel. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see how things go with Red's feelings for the girls…if they would ever step out of the platonic friend zone.

* * *

Later at noon, Red went out to the park to join Cilan and the others for a picnic. Since they barely had time to catch up on the missed years, they decided to hold the picnic that afternoon since none of them have any matches. And there was barely anyone around so they don't need to worry about Red being spotted with them by Misty's group or anyone else.

"What a beautiful sunny day for a picnic!" Bonnie stretched as they set up the picnic. Dedenne mimicked her actions with a happy cheer.

"It's great that not only the weather today is good but also that we're all free with no battles." Clement remarked from the table as he and Cilan set it up. Serena was setting up the cutleries while Red and Iris distributed food to their pokemon with Serena's Pokepuffs and PokeCandies Red brought.

"We probably won't get another opportunity like this in a long time with the tournament going on. Right, Fraxure?" Iris rubbed her pokemon's snout, drawing a pleased cry from it.

"I got to ask, when did Axew evolve into Fraxure?" Red asked curiously as he too patted Fraxure.

"It was during my Champion Challenge against Adler." Iris smiled reminiscently. "It was thanks to Fraxure that I managed to win."

"What made you want to take on the Unova League and become champion?" Red asked. He was not condescending about it, but more intrigued.

Iris seemed to blush and shuffled on her feet before mumbling. "You did."

"Eh?" Red blinked in surprise.

"You inspired me to get stronger after we went our separate ways. After training with Clair, I realized that I want to be at your level one day and be as strong as you so that I can inspire the other trainers at the Dragon Village to become stronger as well. Drayden saw this and suggested that I take on the Unova League and eventually the Elite Four and Champion Challenge." Iris explained with a reminiscent smile. It was then Cilan joined in.

"You could imagine my surprise when Iris came to our gym, demanding a battle." He chuckled, ushering them to the table. "And more so when chose to battle me using our full party instead of one-on-one like normal trainers."

"Normal does not apply to us." Iris reminded him haughtily.

"And then? What happened after you battled Mr. Connoisseur?" Bonnie asked excitedly, bouncing on her toes.

"I travelled around Unova again, challenging gyms and taking on the Vertress Conference." Iris listed. "Then after winning the conference, Drayden coached me for the Elite Four challenge. And guess what, Steven helped me out too."

 _Elsewhere…_

"It's Stephan!" A certain muscular trainer screamed into the sky, startling his Zebstrika and Sawk from their training sparing match.

 _…Back to the gang_

"Who's this 'Steven'?" Serena asked.

 _Back to Stephan again…_

"My name is Stephan!" Stephan yelled again. This time, his pokemon sweatdropped at their trainer's strange antics. Said trainer sank onto the ground in despair. "I wanna' change my name."

 _…Back to the gang again_

"A rival of mine when I was competing in the Vertress Conference." Red explained and turned to Iris in slight surprise. "I didn't know that he helped you."

"I was just as surprised as you are. But he got just as much as I did out of the training. Turns out, he was planning on heading to Johto to compete in the league there so he wanted to be prepared. Last I heard, he was travelling around Sinnoh but took a break to compete in the Millennium Tournament. Unfortunately he got knocked out in the first round."

"Who was his opponent?" Cilan wondered for Stephan was a strong trainer in his own right. Even Red was curious as to who defeated his rival whom he remembered as a tough opponent.

"It was one of the Heiwa Gym Leaders." Iris tapped her chin thoughtfully, trying to remember who it was.

"Which type did the Gym Leader represent?"

"Grass type."

"It was Nick then. I feel bad for saying this, but I'm not surprise. Our gym leaders are tough when they want to be." Red smiled sympathetically. He turned to Cilan and Clement. "What about you guys? How's the gym?"

"Better than ever. More trainers had come and gone from our gym. And the restaurant's business is bustling as ever. My brothers and I have been so busy we barely manage to juggle the gym and restaurant." Cilan grinned.

"My gym has been doing well too. Although not much has happened in the past few years other than Serena becoming Kalos Queen and Bonnie becoming an official trainer."

"Oh yeah. Again, I'm sorry that I could not be there when you became Kalos Queen." Red addressed Serena.

"It's alright. I understand why you can't make it." Serena smiled weakly, not wanting to bring up the betrayal issue here.

"Big Brother and I cheered your part though." Bonnie reassured him.

"So what about your travels here? How did you get your Lucario and Flygon?" Cilan asked, gesturing at the said two pokemon who happens to be the only pokemon Red brought out other than Pikachu.

"I got Lucario as a Riolu from Professor Darcy." Red began. As though sensing its trainer was talking about it, Lucario lifted its head and waved at the group. Red grinned back as he remembered the day he got his trusty pokemon.

* * *

 _"And here is your upgraded Pokedex for the region. The certificate that Prof. Oak installed in the old version has been transferred into this one. You can register at any pokemon center to enter the Heiwa League." Prof. Darcy handed over the device to Ash._

 _"Thank you." Ash accepted it._

 _"And one more thing. Can you please do me a favor?" Darcy clapped her hands together pleadingly._

 _"What is it?"_

 _"Wait here." Darcy retreated to another room for a few minutes and emerged back with a Riolu in her arms._

 _"A Riolu." Ash grinned. He was familiar with this type of pokemon having saved one and battled one before. But this one seems different from the others as it is quieter. And even though he did not have the ability to sense aura at that time, he didn't need it to sense how troubled it was._

 _"This Riolu was saved by my son from a fire in the Northern Area's forest and brought here to recover." Darcy explained, settling it down on the table. Pikachu tried to greet it, but it shielded away._

 _"Arata said that he found it beside its parents. Sadly, they did not make it." Darcy explained sadly, gently petting it which seems to calm it. "He refused to leave them even when the flames were closing in on it. I think it is still struggling to come to terms with their deaths. My son would have taken it in but he is in a very precarious situation that requires his full attention so he cannot help or give it the care it needs now. So, I'm hoping that you would consider taking Riolu along with you. I believe you can help it come to terms with what happened."_

 _Ash was moved by Riolu's story. So he knelt down to be at eye level with it. "Hey, I know how it feels like. To lose the people you love."_

 _This made Riolu look at him strangely. How could a human understand what it went through? It had to watch as its parents sacrificed their lives to save him and allow the fire to consume them when the red-haired trainer that saved him dragged him away from their bodies._

 _As though knowing what Riolu was thinking, Ash extended his hand. "I know that you cannot sense aura right now so I cannot show you what happened. But I want you to understand that I know what you are going through and I want to help you."_

 _Riolu eyed the raven-haired trainer critically. It was skeptical of him and his words. Nevertheless, there was something in his eyes that told it that it can trust him. And its parents always taught it to trust its instincts. So reluctantly, it extended its paw to accept Ash's hand._

 _"Nice to meet you, Riolu. Let's become great friends." Ash tapped a pokeball on its forehead and allowed it to be caught. The ball wiggled for a moment before stopping, signaling the capture._

 _Ash clutched the Pokeball tightly. "I promise you Riolu, I will do everything that I can to help you heal your heart."_

 _As it was, he kept his word and eventually, Riolu changed from a lost child to a powerful fighter. It slowly opened up to Ash and his other Pokemon. Eventually, it evolved into Lucario, vowing to protect other pokemon from losing their love ones like it did._

* * *

"What about Flygon?" Bonnie snapped Red out of his flashback and pointed at the Mystic Pokemon who was leisurely snacking on its Poke Candy.

"Flygon was a wild pokemon who initially lived in a Pokemon Sanctuary at the base of Mt. Harmony. I was training for my Elite Challenge near there when it came across me and requested a battle with my Pokemon."

* * *

 _Red broke into a grin as he battled the Flygon with his newly evolved Lucario. It had come a long way and he could not be more proud for it._

 _The Flygon was tough and Lucario was still adjusting to its newfound strength. It made his blood boil to have such a strong opponent, a wild pokemon at that which was rare. Eventually, the battle ended in a draw._

 _"That was a great battle." Red said as he healed both pokemon with his medical supplies. "Lucario, you're getting better in using your aura sensing abilities."_

 _Lucario growled affectionately at its trainer. Flygon watched this interaction from the corner of its eye. It was right that the boy and his pokemon would be worthy trainers of its time. And its respect grew for him with the way he treated his pokemon. It wondered what it would be like to be this young man's pokemon._

 _"Flygon, you are very strong. Thank you for the battle." Red turned his attention back to it. "You were a powerful opponent."_

 _Flygon brushed it off and inclined its head in respect at him. Red was surprised at this gesture, but he smiled back at it. "Thank you."_

 _Flygon made up its mind. It turned to Lucario and Pikachu and exchanged a few words with them. Their eyes became wide and they exchanged grins._

 _"What is it?" Red frowned, wondering what was that all about. Pikachu did not answer but instead, it pulled out an empty pokeball from Red's bag. His eyes widen in understanding and turned back to Flygon. "You want to come with me?"_

 _Flygon's nod was the answer he needed. Smirking, he accepted the pokeball from Pikachu and threw it at Flygon._

* * *

"And that's what happened. It turns out, Flygon was interested in getting stronger but needed guidance to do so. That's why it decided to become my Pokemon." Red explained, petting said pokemon.

"You always have a knack for befriending pokemon that they want to go with you." Iris jested, thinking back to Oshawatt and Tepig who wanted to go with Ash for being Ash. She then remembered what she wanted to ask him for a long time. "Alright, I'm going to ask you this again. How did you talk to me in my brain during the Opening Ceremony?"

Red shrugged at that. "Like I said, I picked up a few things in this region."

"But how?!"

Pikachu gave a deadpanned look at its trainer. It knew that Red wanted to keep his aura skills a surprise but eventually he was going to have to tell them. But Red shook his head and winked at it. Now was not the time. He will tell them eventually, but for now, he enjoyed teasing Iris with the suspense.

'I wonder what the others are doing now." He suddenly thought of his Elites and Gym Leaders, wondering what were they doing now on a sunny afternoon.

* * *

 ***Code Blue is a contingency code that the Heiwa Elite Four and Champion use to get out of situations like paparazzies or unescapable uncomfortable circumstances. It is run by a security agency owned by Muraku**

 ****Poke Candies are a cross between pokeblocks and candies. Trainers use them to enhance a pokemon's condition or to reward them.**

 **Fun fact: I just found out that Ash's Japanese voice actress is also a singer who contributed to a number of Japanese openings in the anime series. So it's funny that Red would say that he's not a good singer.**


	16. Interrogation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

 **Authors note: So welcome to the first chapter of the year. I hope you guys had a wonderful holiday. Just to let you know, I'm starting a series on Tumblr call 'Facts of Heiwa'. I will be posing information regarding the Heiwa region there. My Tumblr user name is the same as my username here and if you cannot find it, PM me and I'll send over the link.**

* * *

As it was, Arata and Reika were in the penthouse living room enjoying an afternoon tea.

"What do you think about Anabel and Serena's relationship and chances to be with Red?" Arata suddenly asked.

Reika was mildly shocked by the question. But the topic of Red's romantic life was one of the most explored ones among the gym leaders and Elite Four. There was even Atsuya's bet and their private forum discussion going on about it started by Daimen.

Reika pondered over it for a moment and said thoughtfully. "Honestly speaking, they are two sides of the same coin, the coin being Red."

"How so?"

"Serena has been there for Ash when he was at his best. Now, she's learning about Red at his lowest. And Anabel has been there for Ash when he was at his lowest and when Red was born. But from what I gathered, she was there for Ash's best briefly when he challenged her for the Ability symbol."

Arata nodded in agreement as his sipped on his coffee. "It's confusing once you think about it. Both of them have seen parts of Ash and parts of Red. But not all of him."

"But personally, I think Anabel will be the one ending up with him. Though, I think Serena would have had an equal chance if she was the one travelling with him in Heiwa a few years back." Reika contemplated. "Red needs someone who can understand both sides of him. And Anabel can do that for she was there when Red came to be. But Serena…"

"Even if she learns about Red now, it will not matter because Red has closed himself off to protect his heart so that it will not be broken like Ash's. So, she won't be able to understand him fully." Arata sighed. "And the only person he has ever opened it up to as Ash and Red is Anabel."

"Why can't relationships be as simple as yours with Maddie?" Reika groaned.

Arata rolled his eyes at that. "Contrary to what you think, we have our ups and downs. We just don't tell everyone about our issues and deal with them privately, unlike Nick and Maya. Maya likes to make a big deal of everything that goes on in their relationship and Nick lets her."

Reika giggled at that. "I wonder how Daimen puts up with them."

"I don't know." Arata shrugged. He stilled when he felt his Xtrans vibrate on his wrist. He checked the caller ID and saw that it was his mom. "I got to take this. It's probably the test results of Brock's pokemon."

Reika sobered up and watched as Arata moved away as he answered it. While she could not hear what they were talking about, it must not be good if Arata's darkening face was any indication.

"…Got it. I'll call Red. Tell Region Defense to post more guards around Brock." He hung up and turned back to Reika. "Get Muraku and Daimen to the RD HQ immediately. We have to interrogate Brock as soon as possible."

"So it is the Dark Serum." She realized grimly.

"Yeah. Mom confirmed it. She's treating them with the antidote now." Arata confirmed as he dialed Red's Xtrans.

Reika pursed her lips as she left the penthouse to round up Daimen and Muraku. Once again, their day was ruined by those idiots.

* * *

As soon as Red arrived at RD's temporal HQ, he rushed to the holding area where Brock was currently being held.

"Where is he?" He demanded when he bumped into Endou there.

"In the interrogation room." Endou jerked his thumb at the direction of said room where Brock is currently at. "Arata is in there with him now. Reika, Daimen and Muraku are doing perimeter checks outside with Kidou, Gouenji and Fubuki."

"Has he said anything since yesterday?" Red asked as he walked towards the adjacent room of the interrogation room to listen to the interrogation. Brock was chained to a chair while Arata stood over him.

"No. Nothing about how he got the drug or who gave it to him. But, I have a hunch he does not know that he's using something that can get him convicted for association with a terrorist group, aka Team Dawn. He believes he's simply using some sort of enhancement drug that will make his pokemon stronger."

Red growled and focused on the interrogation. But it felt more like a scolding session as it was a one-sided conversation where Arata was mercilessly cutting down Brock with the fact that he is officially associated with a terrorism group with his usage of the Dark Serum. Brock was visibly shaking no doubt due to that revelation. Unfortunately, Red could that he was not sorry at all for poisoning his pokemon like that, only that he used the wrong substance.

Arata also realized this for he stormed out angrily, slamming the door behind him. He soon joined them in the viewing room. "He's sick."

"Agreed." Endou frowned in agreement. "But did he give you anything?"

"No."

Red stared at Brock's shaking but unrepentant face without saying anything. He then made his mind. "He said that my mother showed him how to get stronger. I think I can pry information from him using that."

Endou and Arata jerked their heads at him. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

"Yes." Red nodded firmly. "We are bound to have this conversation sooner or later." He cocked his head at Pikachu on his shoulder who gave him an encouraging look, silently promising to be by its trainer's side throughout the interrogation. With a deep breath, he left the viewing room and stepped into the interrogation room.

* * *

Hearing the door open, Brock lifted his head nervously, hoping that it was not Arata again. But instead, standing before him was none other than Red aka Ash. His nervousness faded and a sneer appeared on his face.

"Come to gloat?" He mocked the Pikachu trainer before him. "You always liked flaunting your accomplishments in our face, Ash."

Red barely twitched at being called his old name. But Pikachu's cheeks were sparking, wanting to use Thunderbolt on the Pokemon abuser. But Red held up a hand and picked up Pikachu from his shoulder, placing it on the floor. He shook his head slightly at it and mouth. 'Later.'

Pikachu begrudgingly obeyed and stepped back while Red stood back up. Much to Brock's surprise and disappointment, he did not rile him up like he hoped.

"I'm a different person now Brock." Red stated calmly, folding his arms. "Petty words like that don't work on me anymore. But, how 'bout I give you a chance to gloat instead?"

Brock instantly had his guard up. "I'm not telling you anything!"

"Oh?" Red raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I proved you wrong by becoming a champion, something you said I cannot be, and all on my own effort. Yet, you proved yourself wrong when you listened to my mother and gave your pokemon drugs, all to be more powerful. You even framed Forrest to get your gym leader position back." He narrowed his eyes sharply at the tan man. "Am I right?"

Brock gulped and swallowed thickly. If Ash was still the weak, scrawny kid, he could have lied his way out and take him down a few pegs as well. But before him was Champion Red, not the weakling Ash. He slowly nodded to answer Red's question. "Yes."

Red eased away in slight satisfaction. "See, that wasn't so hard. Now tell me, what did my mother tell you that made you willing to turn your back on me?"

"Hehehe." Brock chuckled darkly. "Just the truth. That it was a mistake to let you go off on your journey. You have done nothing but hold us back from our dreams! Without you, we can find our own paths to become stronger and you will have to submit to Mrs. Ketchum."

Red clenched his fist that the implications of 'submitting' to his mother. Pikachu's cheeks sparked dangerously as though remembering a bad memory which probably is.

"And you thought that using drugs on your pokemon was the way to go." Red said dangerously. "You were jealous of Forrest's fame and that he is stronger than you would ever be, so you framed him so that you can become the gym leader again while using the Dark Serum on your pokemon, all to get more power than before."

"You got me." Brock shrugged, no longer afraid of Red.

This time, it is Red's turn to sneer at him. "Look at where that got you. You are now chained to the chair and awaiting trial for abusing your pokemon and associating with terrorist. Using the Dark Serum didn't give you power, it destroyed you!"

He spun to leave but stopped as he passed Pikachu. He cocked his head back to Brock with a sardonic smirk. "I believe I should leave Pikachu here to let you catch up with him this time."

Brock immediately turned pale and sweaty as Pikachu grinned and electricity crackled around him. As Red closed the door behind him, he heard Brock screaming and Pikachu sending a long overdue Thunderbolt at him. He smirked but it fell and he sank onto his knees in exhaustion.

Arata quietly came out of the viewing room and sat down beside him. "It's always hard when you have to face the one who has been tormenting your mind and learn the truths behind their actions."

Red lifted his head at him with tired eyes. "Was it this hard for you with Solaris?"

Arata hummed as he tapped on the floor thoughtfully. "It wasn't much so. For one, Solaris was nothing more than my mother's best friend before being the leader of Team Dawn. The fact that he's a psychopath who is capable of killing people and pokemon made it easier for us to hate him."

He paused his tapping and took a resigned breath. "But that doesn't mean that I could sign his death warrant once we defeated him."

Red raised his head with a frown. This was his first time hearing about this. "What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you later." Taking the subject being over, Arata stood up with a stretch. "So, now that the pity party is over, let's get back to work."

Red wanted to facepalm badly but understood where Arata was coming from. Brock is unintentionally associated with Team Dawn. The sooner they dealt with this, they wouldn't need to worry about it along with the Millennium Tournament.

"I spoke with Lance and Mr. Goodshow while you were in there." Arata said as they headed into one of the meeting rooms. "They wanted to prosecute Brock for using illegal substances on his pokemon and promised to reopen the drug scandal case to clear Forrest's name."

Red nodded but sensed that Arata wasn't done yet. "But?"

Arata bit his lip and said, "But after learning that he is associated to a terrorism group, they want to bring him back to Kanto and prosecute him there. Endou did some research and found that the penalty of being associated to terror is life imprisonment. But possession of drugs warrants the death penalty in Kanto."

Red froze at that revelation. "What?"

"It's their law." Arata sighed. "From Endou's research, Heiwa is the only region to not have the death penalty for any type of crime."

Red frowned and tapped his fingers on the table. "What did you say?"

"I asked them to hold off any plans just yet until the tournament is over. We still need information and only Brock can give that."

"I see." Red did not know how to feel. While he wanted justice for Brock's pokemon and for Ash, he could not wrap his head around the fact that his former friend and brother figure was going to die because of his actions. "And what if we choose to prosecute him?"

"Life imprisonment, like Solaris and many other Team Dawn grunts and Admins. But parole is possible since he is indirectly associated to Team Dawn." Arata narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you thinking of saving Brock by having him prosecuted here?"

"I know I shouldn't feel sorry for him, but no matter how much I try, I just can't bear to think of Brock being punished for his actions with death." Red lifted his head at him. "I can't stoop down to his level. He turned his back on me, but I can't turn his back on him."

Arata's features softened and chuckled lightly. "I understand."

"Eh?" Red cocked his head in confusion at him. Arata gave a bitter laugh and sat down on one of the chairs with a sad smile.

"We were asked to give our opinion of whether we should execute Solaris since we were the ones fighting him this whole time." Arata said quietly with a distant look in his eyes. "Half of us wanted him dead while the other half didn't. At the end, I was the tiebreaker between them." He refocused his gaze at Red. "The reason why I chose not to execute Solaris is because I couldn't, no matter how much I tried."

"Huh?" Red's frowned became one of puzzlement. It made no sense that Arata hated him but could not execute him.

Arata's gaze became heavy with his next words. "I did not agree to the execution because I could not bring myself to stoop down to his level."

Arata's words struck something inside Red. He could not discern what it was, but there was a heaviness in his heart. He had to consult Anabel again afterwards. Whenever he had trouble with his emotions, she was the one he would turn to.

"So while I can never forgive Solaris for what he did to the region and the pokemon, I cannot bring myself to have blood on my hands like he does." Arata leaned forward and peered closely at the champion. "But, I think while we are similar in our thoughts of the monsters in our lives, I believe you will go a different path than we did."

"What do you mean?" Red frowned in confusion.

"You'll see." Arata shrugged. "I'll negotiate with Lance and Mr. Goodshow about Brock. You worry about your other former friends."

"Thank you so much." Red left the room and headed back to the interrogation room. Peaking inside, he saw Pikachu's cheeks sparking but had a satisfied smirk. Brock looked worse for the wear having experienced several Thunderbolts by the looks of it.

Red pushed the door open fully, getting the occupant's attention. He gestured for Pikachu to hop back on his shoulders and narrowed his eyes at Brock. "We're going to negotiate for you to be prosecuted under Heiwa's laws. Be thankful we don't support the death penalty."

Without another glance at Brock, he closed the door behind him firmly.

* * *

Later on, like he promised, Arata was negotiating with Lance and Mr. Goodshow over the phone in one of the meeting rooms of RD's HQ.

"Alright…Thank you for understanding…we will do everything in our power to find out how he got the drugs…I will, goodbye." Arata disconnected the call with Lance and Mr. Goodshow with a tired but satisfied smile. It had taken some persuasion and a reminder that it technically is a Team Dawn matter, but he managed to convince them to allow Heiwa to handle Brock's trial. Red will be glad to hear about this. But before he could call the Champion to inform him of this, a knock on the door made him pause and get up to answer it.

When the door swished open, his eyes became wide. "Governor Avaris?"

"Arata, old friend." The governor of Heiwa bowed smoothly with a smile. He was a young man in his late twenties with a charismatic flair. His blond hair was smoothed back and has stunning blue eyes. He was also wearing a light blue suit. "May I come in?"

"Of course." Arata muttered and allowed him in.

"I know that you must be busy, but I had to get the news personally from you. What is to become of the Gym Leader Brock?" Avaris asked as he sat down at the table

"He will be trialed in the Heiwaian courts." Arata answered carefully.

"Oh?" The governor arched an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be better to have him trialed in Kanto since he is from there?"

"The drugs that he used on his pokemon are indeed the Dark Serum."

Avaris stilled and inclined his head. "I see. But if my memory serves correct, you rounded up all of Team Dawn's members. We triple checked it."

"I am not sure myself of how this could happen. But we will get to the bottom of it."

"Ah." Avaris narrowed his eyes. He then stood up. "Well, please keep me updated on the case. It would be in the best interest of my people to be kept in the loop, in case…"

"I understand. But I promise you that it will not be another terrorist revival situation like five years ago."

"I will hold you to that." Avaris smiled pleasantly, shaking Arata's hand. "I will see you again soon, old friend. Good night"

"Good night."

Avaris' smile did not drop until he left the room. He straightened his collar and walked away. He had a few calls to make.

* * *

 **Don't dismiss Governor Avaris. He plays an important part of the story. And I know politics is usually never brought up in the anime, but I feel like it is necessary here. You will find out in the future.**


	17. Tea Party (Part 1)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

* * *

 _'Following up with the investigations of the Brock Drug scandal case, Elite Four Arata has confirmed that Brock has been stripped of his position of Gym Leader and will receive no help from the Kanto League authorities. He will be expected to be trialed here in Heiwa. On another note, the investigation of the Pewter City Drug Scandal case has been reopened in the light of further evidence of Brock framing his brother for drug usage on his pokemon…'_

Mia switched the TV off with the remote and leaned back against the couch with a sigh. "It's finally over. I have to thank Nanu for his help and let him know that Forrest's name will be cleared soon."

"Vul~" Her Vulpix hummed as it curled up beside her. All her other pokemon were scattered around the apartment she had gotten at the Trainer's Village after a day of fruitful training in preparation for the third round.

"But it's strange how the Dark Serum could have ended up in Kanto's black market." Mia mused darkly as she stroked the fox pokemon. "We made sure that all of Team Dawn's members are gathered up, destroyed the data on the Dark Serum and checked that none of it made it out of the region."

Vulpix sighed and snugged closer to its trainer to offer comfort. It was not born when the war happened, and Mia only obtained it when she went to Johto. However, it had learned of her past with Team Dawn and why she hates Lara and Muraku so much from her other pokemon. Needless to say, it instantly shared their dislike and unforgiveness towards the two people who caused so much pain in their trainer.

There was a knock on the door that made it and Mia look up. Mia frowned and peeped through the door viewer. Her visitor made her eyebrows shoot up and she immediately flung the door open.

"Avaris?!"

"Mia dear, it has been a long time." The governor clapped her shoulders warmly. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Not at all." Mia stood aside to allow him in. Most of her pokemon recognized him and called out in greeting. He returned them with a smile and his eyes landed on Vulpix who was staring at him curiously, not having seen him before.

"Mia, is this Vulpix from the egg I gave you?" He asked as he petted it, drawing a happy coo from it.

"Yes." Mia chuckled as she sat down on its other side. "It hatched shortly after I arrived at Mahogany Town. It's a bit vain but proven itself to be a strong battler."

"And that's why you have her in your main line up. I saw your battle against Watson the other day. You have improved a lot despite no longer being an Elite Four."

"Titles don't measure up to strength. What matters is how I perform." She merely shrugged.

"If I recall correctly, you said something along those lines to me all those years ago when you were acting as my bodyguard." Avaris said in amusement.

"I prefer the term 'Pokemon Battling Coach'." Mia smirked back at him. "You wouldn't let me do my job properly, so I had to train you and your pokemon to battle to defend yourself from Team Dawn."

"And I have thanked you a thousand times over." Avaris gave a flourish bow.

Mia rolled her eyes at the governor's theatrics but did not comment on it, knowing that he would not act as dramatic as this for anyone but her. "You're welcome. Anyway, what really brings you here?"

"I could say that I wanted to catch up with my good friend, but I know you would not buy it." Avaris leaned back against the couch with a serious look. "Firstly, I want to thank you for tipping off Red about Brock and the Dark Serum."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "How did you know it was me?"

"It had to be someone who is knowledgeable of Team Dawn and the Dark Serum but also outside of Heiwa. And you were one of the best information gatherers back then." Avaris explained plainly. "Thanks to your tip, we stopped Brock before any major damage happened. However, this leads to a new problem."

"Oh?" Mia narrowed her eyes.

"Red and Arata may not have announced to the public that Brock was using the Dark Serum, but a lot of people are suspecting it. I'm beginning to worry about our region's visitors and so are the Heiwanians."

"They are getting scared that something worse than Team Dawn will happen again with the trainers from other regions coming here for the Millennium Tournament." Mia guessed.

"Yes. We have always been paranoid about anything relating to Pokemon Drugs and terrorism. Now that it has happened again and by a _foreigner,_ I worry about the safety of our visitors. People will act recklessly when terrified."

"So what are you proposing to do about this?"

"I'm holding a tea party this evening in a sign of goodwill towards the League Officials of all the regions, Kanto especially, to protect the participants and visitors of the Millennium Tournament. With the publicity of me being on good terms with the League Officials of other regions, hopefully it will convey that I don't blame them for what happened, and everyone will follow my lead. I am hoping that you would attend it as well."

Mia raised and eyebrow and folded her arms. "Why wouldn't I be there?"

"When I said all the regions, I meant it." Avaris said seriously. Mia opened her mouth but shut it when she understood what he was implying.

"Muraku and Lara will be there too."

"Yes." Avaris spoke, sounding regretful. "In order to get the message across, it might be beneficial to have the Heroes of Heiwa around to show that they trust the visitors and the people have nothing to fear about them. And your presence there will help tremendously with your position as former Elite Four of Heiwa and Gym Leader of Johto."

Mia bit her lip and absentmindedly ran her hand through Vulpix's fur. "And what will happen if I choose not to go?"

"You'll have a disappointed friend not letting you forget about this." Avaris chuckled, much to Mia's surprise. "Frankly, I would be glad if you came. But I understand if you choose to sit this one out. No one knows better than me how much your brother and Lara hurt you."

Mia gave him a small smile at that. Avaris may be the Governor of Heiwa, but he was a straightforward person who sincerely cares for his people and will do anything to protect them unlike many politicians. It was one of the reasons why he remained governor for many years. And it is also why he was her closest friend. He empathized her and treated her more of a friend than bodyguard. In fact, it was on his advice that Mia decided to step away from the Heiwa League and leave the region before she broke down mentally and emotionally from being around Muraku and Lara.

"I'll consider it. But no promises."

"That's all I ask." Avaris whipped out a card from his coat. "The details are inside here, and the tea party will be at the Battle Hotel's ballroom. I hope to see you there."

"Tea party, huh?" Mia muttered one Avaris left. She flipped the card in her hands and read through the details. Slowly, a smile formed on her face. "Mm, might not be so bad after all."

* * *

 _At the forest South of the Battle Hotel_

After a whole morning of training, Red was relaxing while leaning against a tree while his pokemon were resting. Ever since the Brock problem came up, he has been neglecting his training. To make up for it, he, Lucario and Flygon trained hard that day for their battle which will be held at the end of the week. It was funny how his first battle was posted as one of the openings of the tournament but his second battle posted as one of the finishers of the second round.

Red sighed as he gaze at the cloudless sky, wondering for not the first time why he still cared for Brock that he saved him from his impending doom in Kanto. Pikachu and Charizard worried for him but he reassured them that he will be fine. He won't let this affect his performance as a Champion.

Light footsteps made him lift up his head. His frown faded however when he realized that it was only Serena. "Hey Serena."

"Red." Serena greeted as she sat down next to him. Pikachu jumped on her lap in greeting which she returned with a chuckle and pat. "I've been looking all over for you."

"You have?"

"We didn't hear from you ever since you told us to stay away from Brock's match so we were getting worried. But we understand you have been busy though."

"Oh." Red lowered his head guiltily. It had been true that he was busy but it was no excuse to forget about his true friends.

"Red, don't think too much about it." Serena placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him. "We understand because your role now is different from when you were an ordinary trainer before. As the Champion of this region, you have your duty to protect Heiwa."

Red lowered his eyes and tugged on his cap. "Thanks for understanding."

Serena's lips tugged upwards warmly. She settled back against the tree Red was leaning against and asked, "I don't mean to pry or bring up bad memories, but are you alright after confronting Brock?"

"I guess." Red shrugged but at Serena's pointed glare, he sighed. "Ok, I'm not ok but I think I will be eventually."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Maybe." Red shrugged. He did not want to admit it but he felt more comfortable talking about his emotions with Anabel than he was with Serena. Unfortunately, the Frontier Brain had a meeting with her colleagues and Scott at the moment so he could not talk with her for a while.

Pikachu sighed silently at his trainer's reluctance to talk to Serena about what he was going through. It can't help but feel that Red was being unfair to the blond haired girl. It's glare said as much and Red guiltily looked away.

Glancing at Serena, it was hard to miss the dismay in her eyes at his reluctance to trust her. He sighed and hesitantly spoke, "But I really need to talk to someone or I'll go mad. But most of it would not be pretty."

Serena perked up at Red's sudden change of heart. Knowing how hard it must be for him, she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I promise I won't judge."

"Alright." Red then told her what he and Arata had learned yesterday and how he tried to save Brock from Kanto's death penalty. "…In the end, I'm confuse because I thought I hated him so much but I still care for him enough to save him from the death penalty."

Serena listened to him quietly, silently digesting what he said. She then nodded in understanding. "I see. Red, I don't believe there is anything wrong with feeling that way." When Red threw her a half disbelieving, half hopeful look, she explained, "I believe as much as everyone does that Brock should be held responsible for abusing his pokemon and turning his back on you. And I imagine that you feel that more than anyone else. However, the fact that you still care for him shows that you're still, well, you."

Serena looked around to make sure no one was around and continued in a whisper, "Ash would have done it if he were in your position now. He is just as compassionate to others just as you are. He would have wanted to save Brock too no matter how much he hurt him."

Red was startled by this. The more he thought about it though, the more it made sense. With a chuckle, he ran a hand through his hair. "I guess it makes sense. Thanks for the pep talk."

"Anytime Red. Next time, please don't hesitate to talk to one of us. It doesn't always have to be only Anabel."

Red raised an eyebrow at her. "She put you up to this, didn't she?"

"She's worried about you, just like all of us. And she wants you to reconnect with the rest of us as well." Serena confessed but not looking too apologetic about it. Red only sighed but inwardly thankful to the lilac Frontier Brain for her efforts in helping him reconnect with his friends from Unova and Kalos.

"Thank you."

Serena looked up and smiled. "You're welcome."

* * *

When Red got back to the Battle Hotel, he was surprised to find the place overrun by reporters. On the advise of one of the passing staff, he used Code Blue to get up to his floor to get answers from Arata.

"I take it you saw the reporters?" Arata asked with a small grimace when he saw the Champion's irritated look. He sighed and ran a hand through his for once neatly combed hair. "Avaris is holding a tea party in an hour at the ballroom for all the League Officials from all regions."

Red raised his eyebrows. "Another publicity stunt?"

"Not really, it's more of a 'protecting the public' stunt." Muraku explained as he emerged from his room, no longer in his casual clothes but in his formal Battle outfit. The same goes to the other two who also emerged.

"Excuse me?"

"Avaris believes that promoting goodwill amongst our region with the others will prevent an incident involving paranoid locals and visitors." Reika summarized the explanation that Avaris gave them. "After what Brock did, there are whispers of discontentment among the people of Heiwa that the visitors will only bring trouble. And that can affect the Millennium Tournament badly."

"I see your point." Red muttered.

"Get cleaned up." Arata jerked his thumb at the bathroom. "We need to be down there soon."

Red sighed and went to take a quick shower. He will never understand why all these publicity stunts are necessary but Arata and the others are used to it. They explained that the publicity was what helped convince the residences of Heiwa to accept the Pokemon League's presence there in the first place so they continued doing it. Now that he is part of the Heiwa League, he has to take part in many of these events. He never will enjoy these events, especially a tea party of all things! What is Governor Avaris thinking?


	18. Tea Party (Part 2)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

* * *

The ballroom was nicely decorated with white chairs and tables decorated with red ribbons and white tablecloths around the room save the center. The tables were topped with teacups and small cakes, biscuits and many other dainty snacks. Waiter and waitresses were going around serving tea to early comers who mingled around. Governor Avaris had outdone himself in preparing all this within a short span of time, thought the Heiwa officials when they arrived.

Governor Avaris was speaking with Mr. Goodshow when he saw them and he politely excused himself. "Arata, thank you for passing the news. I'm glad that all of you came."

"Anytime Avaris." Arata inclined his head. "I suppose we should mingle around."

"Yes please." Avaris tipped his head and addressed the group. "Feel free to go around, mix with the Gym Leaders, Elite Four and Champions of the other regions. This is a tea party to celebrate good relations."

Yet, when Red peered over the Governor's shoulder, he could tell that Mr. Goodshow was not very happy with something, judging by the glare directed at the governor's back. He frowned, resolving to talk with the old man later.

"Red, don't stand around doing nothing. Go around, meet new people and have fun." Avaris passed him a teacup filled with lavender tea with a smile. Red blinked and realize that everyone else had already broke into smaller groups to interact with the visitors, leaving him standing there with Avaris. He inwardly grimaced for while he had no problems with Avaris, he preferred to keep their interactions short and professional. Avaris's personality of grandeur was intimidating at times.

Murmuring his thanks, he quickly made his way over to Mr. Goodshow. Upon noticing him, the old man motioned him over to a quiet corner with Lance.

"I don't like this." Mr. Goodshow said bluntly at Red. "He may give an excuse of building relations but I can't help but feel that there is an ulterior motive to this."

"I agree." Lance nodded with a frown. "Politicians generally do not interfere with the Pokemon League's business. Why would Governor Avaris go so far unless he can get something out of it?"

"A peaceful tournament for one."

Everyone turned to Mia who spoke as she approached them with a slight frown. Her Vulpix trotting beside her. When Pikachu, who was situated on Red's shoulder, saw it, he hopped down to greet it. A nod from their trainers and they ran off, presumably to play with the other Pokemon who are out of their balls.

"I see that you decided to come, Mia." Lance greeted her coolly.

Mia merely inclined her head at him in greeting and turned to Mr. Goodshow. "I mean no disrespect, President Goodshow, but I believe you misunderstand Avaris. If you take a look into Heiwa's social media platform, many people are voicing out their concerns regarding Brock and his drug abuse on his Pokemon. When they hear drug usage on Pokemon, the first thing that comes into mind is Team Dawn. Worse yet, this incident is done by an outsider of the region."

Mr. Goodshow's face darkened. "I see. But how will this affect the tournament?"

"When people fear something, they let it control them to do things they will regret later, especially against the visitors and participants of the tournament. Avaris is nipping the problem at the bud. With this function with people of other regions gathering together and interact with the Gym Leaders and Elite Four of Heiwa, who are considered the heroes of the region by the people, it will assure the public that Brock is a one time incident and will not happen again."

Mia then raised her Xtrans and opened up the social media platform of Heiwa, PokeBook. "In fact, this is event is being streamed live on social media. Already there is a significant change of view by the people of Heiwa, 39% if I had to guess. They are responding more positively towards the visitors and participants now. Negativity and slander against the tournament has also gone down by 20% on social media."

Lance and Mr. Goodshow were speechless by Mia's explanations. They had not expected the Brock incident to blow up that badly. Red hid a chuckle with a cough. Trust Mia to be the information gathering specialist. He heard about her skills in obtaining hard find information from Arata and found it to be true since she found Forrest and warned them about Brock.

"If you'll excuse me then." Mia bowed at Mr. Goodshow but ignored Lance. Pausing by Red, she leaned over and whispered. "A word with you please?"

Red nodded and followed her to the desert table. "Anything else that you need to inform me of?"

"Nothing urgent." Mia shook her head as she took a plate and got herself some Oran Berry tarts. "Forrest heard about Brock's arrest. He asked me to thank you."

"But I was not the only one who arrested Brock. It was a combine effort from the Heiwa League and Region Defense." Red said modestly.

"Nevertheless, you listened to me." Mia smiled sadly. "That's more than I can say for the others."

"Mia…"

Mia cleared her throat to forestall him. "And Forrest is hoping to speak to you soon."

Red blinked in surprise at that part. "Why does he wants to see me?"

"I have no idea. I'm just helping relay the message." Mia shrugged, smiling slightly. Popping a tart into her mouth, she gestured at Muraku with her free hand. "By the way, this stays between us. Not a word to anyone else, especially him."

Red frowned but nodded. Satisfied and her job done, Mia inclined her head. "Thanks. I'll leave you to 'mingle around' then. Oh, and I hope you brought some of your Pokemon other than Pikachu. Knowing Avaris, he's bound to throw in a Pokemon battle. Who against who, I don't know. But I think he has someone in mind."

Red inwardly sighed. He had brought Flygon and Lucario along but didn't want to use them until his second-round battle. And he didn't want to use Pikachu yet since Misty is bound to be around. If it comes down to it, he'll probably have to use either one of the former two to throw suspicion off.

Glancing around, he noted that Clemont, Iris and Cilan were seated at one of the tables, chatting with Cynthia. Instead of going over, he walked in the opposite direction, knowing that Cynthia is smart enough to put two and two together if he showed up at his old friends' table. So he will go over once Cynthia was gone. In the meantime, he decided to approach the Hoenn Elite Four and Wallace to strike up a conversation.

* * *

Meanwhile, with Arata, he and Maddie were chatting with the Sinnoh Elite Four at a table not too far from Cynthia and the rest. Arata pointedly had an arm around Maddie's waist to fend off Flint who was flirting with the shy Gym Leader earlier.

"So what's it like? Going from Champion to Elite Four?" Aaron asked curiously. Bertha frowned and lightly smacked him for the insensitive question.

"Aaron!"

"It's fine." Arata pacified her with a raised hand. "Red has proved his worth as Champion so I have no regrets leaving my former position to him. And I like being an Elite Four, even if I wish the circumstances were different." He muttered the last part under his breath.

"So what brought your question up?" Maddie asked to divert the attention before someone could question him about it.

"Just curiosity." Aaron shrugged. "I mean, if someone was to actually beat Cynthia, I was wondering if she'll want to join the Elite Four."

"I think she would rather not." Lucian pointed out. "From what I know, she is likely to go travelling to learn the mythology and history of different regions."

"Not to mention, one of us will have to leave the Elite Four if she really wants to join us." Flint added.

"It probably will not come to that. Coincidence was the only reason why I landed on my current post of Elite Four, not because I wanted it." Arata slowly said.

"One more thing, have you ever met a trainer call Ash? He disappeared five years ago but rumor has it that he's here in this region."

Arata and Maddie did not react outwardly at Lucian's question. Though, Arata's hand did tighten subtly around Maddie's waist. Nevertheless, they acted along.

"Hm, I don't think so." Arata tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I was still Champion around that time but I was busy with a region wide emergency at that time. So even if this Ash was in the region, I probably would not have known. And no one has ever challenged the Elite Four under that name."

"I don't think I've be challenged by anyone by that name either." Maddie added truthfully. Among all the Gym Leaders, Yuko was the only whom Red challenged under the name 'Ash' before changing it to Red. It was only after Red became Champion that they learned about Red's past and why he changed his name.

Lucian frowned at that. He knew that they are hiding something despite being somewhat truthful with their words. Before he could pry, one of the Elite Four of Heiwa ran over with a Xtrans activated.

"There you guys are!" She greeted Arata and Maddie. Turning to face the Sinnoh Elite Four, she introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Reika of the Heiwa Elite Four and I'm part of the team doing a live coverage of the tea party. Can I ask you guys a few questions?"

"Count me in!" Flint shot her a thumbs up and a wink.

"Um, sure, I guess." Aaron rubbed the back of his head.

"I am afraid I have to pass." Lucian shook his head as he stood up. "I just remembered that I have promised Bryon to speak with him soon regarding certain things in the Canalave Library."

Bertha shot him an unimpressed look but remained at her seat. Taking Reika's interview as a chance, Arata and Maddie left the table as well.

"That was close." Arata let out a breath. He then shared frowns with Maddie. "I had no idea that there were rumors of Ash in Heiwa."

Maddie nodded in agreement, her forehead creased thoughtfully. "We know how to respond if anyone asks about Ash. But I'm worried of how long we can cover it up. There are a lot of smart people here…"

"It won't come to that. He will show himself when the time is right…I hope."

Maddie groaned lightly and covered her eyes with her hand. "I sincerely hope that he can make up his mind soon."

Unbeknown to them, Lucian had heard part of their conversation. Slipping out of the ballroom, he dialed a number into his Pokegear.

"It's me…I have reason to believe your suspicions are correct, but I don't have solid proof…they could be talking about a different matter...I meant Elite Four Arata and Gym Leader Maddie…Alright, I'll keep my ears open for more information, Cynthia."

* * *

 _A few seconds earlier…_

With Cynthia excusing herself to take a call, Red finally approached his friends. "Hey guys."

"Red!" Iris greeted him with a wave. "You just missed out meeting Cynthia."

"Sorry, but she's one of the sharp people in here." Red shrugged, taking a seat. Other people may not get what he was talking about, but his friends understood.

"So where's Serena and Bonnie?"

"Serena brought Bonnie to the Bonjour Café in town since Bonnie was sulking about missing out this tea party." Clemont said with a wry smile.

"But I'm sure that Serena is more disappointed than Bonnie since she's missing out a lot here." Iris said slyly at Red.

Red only blinked in confusion. "But Bonjour Café is one of the best cafes here. Serena and Bonnie will enjoy themselves there."

As one, Clemont, Cilan and Iris fell over. As usual, Red was being dense towards Serena's feelings towards him.

"I can't believe he grew out of being a kid but is still dense towards girls falling for him." Iris hissed under her breath at Cilan.

Said Gym Leader could only sweatdrop. "Well, this is him we're talking about, right?"

"He has always been this dense?" Clemont whispered at them.

"Unfortunately."

Clemont let out a long-suffering sigh. "Then you guys are lucky. You didn't need to watch this every day when we were traveling together."

Iris and Cilan flashed sympathetic smiles, especially for Serena, wondering how she dealt with Ash's density every day when they were traveling through Kalos.

"I'm right here you know." Red deadpanned. "And I'm not that dense."

"Oh really?" They rolled their eyes. Red scowled and was about to retort but Pikachu reappeared at that moment and hopped back on Red's shoulder. The room darkened and only the chandelier in the center of the room was lit.

"It's time. Governor Avaris will be announcing the trainers for the demonstration battle now." Someone mentioned at the side. Red suspected it was Daimen.

"There's a battle coming up!?" Iris shot up to her feet in excitement.

"I didn't know that there will be one." Cilan gave Red a questioning look but he shook his head in reply.

"It was all Avaris' idea and planning. I had no idea that Avaris is planning this until just now."

"Sh.." Iris hushed them as Avaris stepped into the center of the room with a spotlight shining on him.

"Greetings to our honored guest and our local heroes. Thank you for coming." Avaris gave a flourish bow. "I am sorry for setting this up impromptuly but I felt that this is a better time than ever to build stronger relationships with each other. I hope that all of you can enjoy the hospitality of our humble region."

Lifting his hand, he snapped his fingers. Instantly, lines formed on the floor, forming a battlefield. People murmured in surprise but shifted out of the field's perimeters. Avaris smirked under his breath and caught Mia's eyes. He beckoned her to come forth.

"As you can guess, we will be holding a Pokemon battle here and now. It will be a tag battle with the first team being me and Gym Leader Mia of Mahogany Town. The second team will be randomly chosen."

"No surprise that Mia is Governor Avaris' partner. She's his favorite." Lara muttered under her breath to Muraku who was frowning at his sister. He only nodded absentmindedly at Lara's statement while he silently noted that Mia was visibly more relaxed around Avaris than around anyone else.

"And the second team has been selected! It will be Gym Leader Maya of Talatrua City and Gym Leader Valerie of Laverre City."

Said gym leaders stepped forward with light smirks on their faces though for different reasons.

"Long time no see, Mia. I am looking forward to seeing how much strong you have become." Maya greeted her cousin as she and Valerie took their places at the trainer box across from Avaris and Mia.

Mia smiled back lightly. Maya is her favorite cousin and is one of the few who understood her initial misgivings of letting Lara join the group back then during the Team Dawn war. She was also the one who stood by her when Muraku wouldn't in the aftermath of what Solaris did to her and her favorite Pokemon.

Avaris internally smiled at Mia's good mood, knowing that he made the right choice of messing with the spotlights to deliberately choose Maya as their opponent. Glancing back at Mia, they exchanged nods and pulled out their Pokeballs. Their opponents did the same. Avaris then raised his free hand and snapped his fingers. From the chandelier hanging over the field, a force field formed around the entire battlefield.

"Now we don't need to worry about our attacks straying off." Avaris explained. Jessie then stepped up to the referee box and raised her hands.

"This will be a two-on-two tag battle between the Governor Avaris-Gym Leader Mia team and Gym Leader Maya-Gym Leader Valerie team will now begin. All trainers are only allowed to use one pokemon each and the battle will be over when one team losses all their pokemon. Now, bring out your pokemon!"

"Give them a taste of poison, Beedrill!"

"Come forth Sylveon!"

Almost instantaneously, Mia's face darkened at the Sylveon and clutched her Pokeball tighter. She jumped in surprise when Avaris tapped her shoulder. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Calm down. It won't do to get worked up over a Pokemon that she also has. It's not Lara's."

Mia's hands trembled as she took several calming breaths. "Ok, I'm alright now."

Avaris patted her shoulder and called out his pokemon first. "Ferrothorn, let's show our guest how we battle."

Avaris' Ferrothorn landed with a massive thump and people gasped at how large it was. Mia chuckled at the reactions and threw up her Pokeball. "Freeze them Froslass!"

"That Ferrothorn is huge!" Iris exclaimed.

Red nodded at her words. "Arata and Yuko told me that it is because of the crystal elements imbued in the soil of Mt. Harmony. The crystal elements can cause mutations within the pokemon that live and/or evolve here. Governor Avaris evolved his Ferroseed at Crystal City so the crystal elements caused Ferrothorn to increase in size as it took on its current evolution."

"Wow." Iris whispered in amazement.

"Then would this affect the Millennium Tournament if trainers evolve their pokemon here?" Clemont asked in concern.

"Not likely." Red shook his head. "It is very rare this high up in the mountain. It's more common down at the base, especially in Crystal City."

"The battle's starting." Cilan suddenly spoke up, pointing at the battlefield.

"Battle begin!" Jessie brought down her hands.

Avaris and Mia exchanged glances and nodded. Avaris then made the first move. "Ferrothorn, execute Plan Spinning Arm!"

Ferrothorn moved swiftly in front of Froslass and balanced itself on two arms as the third was swinging in a wide arc.

"The Spinning Arm strategy." Maya muttered disgruntledly. "Valerie, have your Sylveon use Dazzling Gleam when I give the signal."

"Oh?" Valerie looked at her curiously. "You have a plan I presume."

"Just to stop them from succeeding in that strategy. Froslass will send its attacks over Ferrothorn while we are distracted by its swinging arm. Their defense is also dependent on that arm too."

"I see. Very well then, I leave the timing to you." Valerie relented.

Maya narrowed her eyes and watched Froslass closely behind Ferrothorn. The moment Froslass darted upwards, Maya reacted.

"Poison Jab at the swinging arm!"

Beedrill aimed its stingers at Ferrothorn's arm when it swung upwards and launched the Poison Jab when it was at the top. While the attack did nothing on Ferrothorn, the arm was sent flying back by the recoil and hit something that was about to launch out of behind Ferrothorn.

"Did it hit Froslass?" Valerie squinted her eyes, wondering if it was the Snow Land pokemon that the arm hit.

"No." Maya gritted her teeth. Ferrothron retracted back its arm and the thing that it hit was revealed to be a Substitute doll.

"Nice try Maya, but I know that you know how to counter our strategy so I changed things up a little." Mia explained, flicking her wrist and Froslass reemerged from its hiding place behind one of Ferrothorn's other arms.

"Valerie, now." Maya hissed.

"Alright! Sylveon, use Dazzling Gleam!"

"Sylveon~!" Sylveron cried as it unleased a bright rainbow light at Froslass and Ferrothorn, blinding them temporarily.

"Use X-Scissor at Ferrothorn now!"

Beedrill's stingers glowed red as it held them into a 'X' cross and slammed into Ferrothorn, making it slide back by an inch.

"And now Sylveon, use Draining Kiss."

"Wait! No-!" Maya tried to warn Valerie but it was too late. Sylveon had approached Froslass and kissed it. Unfortunately, while the attack worked as Froslass was drained off its energy, it reacted badly to the move. It launched a close-range Shadow Ball to throw Sylveon as far away from it as possible. This sent Sylveon flying back and right in the path of Ferrothorn's Power Whip which was meant for Beedrill. Again, Sylveon was sent rolling back and when the dust cleared, it was shown to have swirls in its eyes.

"Froslass, calm down." Mia raised a hand when she saw her pokemon shaking in agitation. "It's down already. No need to get worked up anymore."

Froslass was shaking in anger. That Sylveon dared to attack her the same way that horrible woman's Sylveon did in an act of cowardliness! She wanted it to pay! Lara and her Sylveon will pay for what they did to Glacier! But upon hearing her mistress' orders, it scowled but obeyed.

"Sylveon is unable to battle." Jessie declared as Valerie despondently recalled Sylveon.

"Great." Maya narrowed her eyes but had a sly smirk on. "That leaves us, Beedrill."

"I'm so sorry Maya." Valerie apologized to the poison type gym leader.

"Never mind. You just got the short end of the stick by choosing Sylveon to battle in the first place." Maya said dismissively.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Valerie frowned. But Maya ignored her as she reverted her attention back to the battle and ordered a Brick Break on Ferrothorn. Froslass jumped in front of her ally with prompting from her mistress and as expected, Beedrill phased through it with Brick Break since Fighting type moves have no effect on her, yet it continued its path to attack Ferrothorn. But Beedrill's body was surrounded by a purple light and its leg stopped glowing with power for the Brick Break. Instantaneously, it changed course to fly upwards instead before it could crash into Ferrothorn.

"Thanks for the save, Mia." Avaris graciously thanked his partner.

"Curse Body." Maya growled. "I forgot your Froslass has that hidden ability."

Mia only shrugged at that and Avaris snapped his fingers. "Let's finish this battle with Iron Head!"

Ferrothorn launched itself up with its powerful three arms and its head gained a metallic sheen of Iron Head. Beedrill barely dodged it but Ferrothorn managed to clip its wings, making it fall down out of control.

"Take this opportunity with Ice Beam!"

Froslass did as told, firing the Ice Beam at the erratic falling Beedrill.

"Defend yourself with X Scissors!"

In a vain attempt to fend of the Ice Beam, Beedrill tried to use X Scissors to block it. Unfortunately, its angle is wrong so it was frozen over, making it crash to the ground.

Upon close inspection, Jessie gave out the judgement. "Beedrill is unable to battle. As Gym Leader Maya and Gym Leader Valerie both no longer have any Pokemon to battle with anymore, the winners are Governor Avaris and Gym Leader Mia!"

"Splendid cooperation as always, Mia. I always enjoy having you by my side in a battle." Avaris shook Mia's hand.

Mia hid a giggle behind her hand. "And thank you for arranging this. I haven't enjoyed a battle for a very long time." In a lower voice, she whispered. "Thanks for having Maya as our opponent too."

"You're very welcome." Avaris suddenly pulled her into a brief hug and quickly let go. "I presume you would want to catch up with your cousin so I won't hold you any longer."

"Once again, thank you for all you've done for today." Mia inclined her head and headed across the field to thank Maya for the battle.

Avaris rubbed his hands together smugly, noting out of his peripheral vision that Lance and some of the Johto Gym Leaders were shocked by the outright display of closeness between him and Mia.

'Don't think that I do not know how most of you treat Mia like she's insignificant trash since she downgraded from Elite Four to Gym Leader. With this display of strength and my support, I hope you learn to leave her alone.' He thought to himself.

Out loud, he cleared his throat, waving his hands. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we do it at Heiwa. Enjoy the rest of the evening!"


	19. vs Meowth & Druddigon

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Please follow, favorite or review.**

* * *

Within Red's hideout, the young man was meditating with Lucario while Flygon flew lazy circles in the air. It was finally the day for his round 2 battle. And this time, it was against Tyson, his former opponent in the Ever Grand Conference years ago. While Red was fairly confident in his skills, Tyson was not someone to be underestimated and no doubt gotten stronger since then.

A beep from his Xtransiver rose him and Lucario from their meditation. Flygon landed beside him and allowed him to climb on while recalling Lucario.

Taking a deep breath, Red breath out, "It's time."

* * *

Tyson is someone strong, Arata and the others were certain of that as they watched both trainers rise from the platforms. As someone who won the Ever Grande Conference and beat Ash, Tyson also placed Top 4 in the Silver Conference and Top 2 in the Vertress Conference, thus his admission in the Millenium Tournament and acknowledgement of his strength and skills from various League officials including Heiwa which was rare as they have a reputation of being hard to impress.

Red called out Lucario and Flygon while Tyson had his Meowth and Druddigon. The field selected for the battle is the rock terrain. Observing his opponent's pokemon, Red smirked slightly at Tyson's Meowth, nearly regretting not choosing Pikachu for this round since he knew it would want a rematch against it. Nevertheless, he knew Lucario and Flygon will suffice, even if he knew nothing about Tyson's Druddigon for this round.

"Tyson would most likely use a similar strategy to what we've been planning." Red muttered to Lucario and Flygon. "Be ready to improvise our strategy at moment's notice."

Lucario and Flygon nodded though they didn't necessarily need that warning. All of Red's pokemon know by now that there was no point in sticking to one strategy in battle as Red tends to improvise new one's mid-battle to gain an advantage over his opponents.

The moment the referee brgouht down his flags, Flygon and Lucario dashed at their opponents without giving them time to blink. Meowth and Druddigon tensed and Tyson's eyes darted around before narrowing them.

"Stay calm! Use Water Pulse in front of you, Meowth."

Meowth created a light blue sphere and threw it on the ground before Druddigon and it. Flygon and Lucario were forced to slow down to a stop.

"Retaliate with Dragon Tail on the ground!" Red smirked as he directed Flygon. Instantly, Flygon slammed down its tail on the ground. Rocks and dirt were sent flying at the direction of the Water Pulse. The force of both waves caused a cloud of dust to fly up, hindering Druddigon and Meowth's vision.

Tyson gritted his teeth as his eyes darted around again. He knew that Lucario and Flygon had the advantage of aura and eyes that are used to sandstorms. So he had to be careful. Taking a deep breath, he called to Druddigon. "Dispers the dust."

With a strong flap of its wings, the dust was blown away, revealing nothing. Flygon and Lucario were no longer anywhere on the field.

"Lucario, fire down Aura Sphere!"

At that command, Tyson realized where his opponent's pokemon are. Judging by the expressions of his pokemon, they realized the same thing too and jerked their heads up only to be met with a bardge of Aura Sphere. Pearched on Flygon's back, Lucario was firing its signature move down on Meowth and Druddigon.

Unfortunately, Meowth and Druddigon did not appreciate being attacked from above. With the command from their trainer, they slashed at the Aura Spheres with Slash and Dragon Claw respectively to protect themselves.

"Hm." Red tapped his thigh thoughtfully. Tyson was as strong as he remembered. And if Red remembered correctly, Tyson's observations in battle meant that he was capable of adapting his strategy. However, if Red pulls out some of the surprises he has up his sleeves, he should take Tyson off-guard long enough to land a few hits.

Smirking, Red made a gesture for Lucario to stop and Flygon to return to the field. Flygon swooped down back to the field but its passenger did not disembark.

"Two can play at one game. Meowth, get on Druddigon!"

Red smirked as his predictions of Tyson copying his strategy was right. He flipped his palm at Flygon and Lucario. Narrowing their eyes, they nodded. With a strong swoop of its wings, Flygon zoomed forward at their opponents. This time however, Tyson is prepared and gave the same order to his pokemon. Druddigon flew towards Flygon but slower.

"Get ready to use Crunch and Iron Tail when you get closer!"

With both teams of Pokemon closing the distance, the audience were at the edge of their seats for neither of them is slowing down. Just as it seemed that both fliers are going to collide, Red yelled, "Now!"

Lucario immediately leapt off Flygon's back onto Druddigon's while Flygon ducked underneath it at the same time.

"What-!?"

"Close Combat and Dragon Tail!"

Lucario unleashed a barge of rapid kicks and punches at Meowth who tried to defend itself with Iron Tail but failing to block most of the hits. Druddigon tried to Crunch Flygon's tail from underneath but fail to reach it. Flygon mercilessly struck Druddigon's under belly with Dragon Tail then barrelrolled out from underneath. Druddigon roared out in pain and bucked its passengers off.

"Iron Tail and Slash, back to back!"

"Swords Dance then Close Combat!"

Lucario initiated Swords Dance to raise its attack and deflected Meowth's Slash. Activating Close Combat once more, Lucario traded blows with Meowth while being mindful to minimize the impact of the blows since its Defense stats are lowered tremendously after using Close Combat twice.

Meanwhile, Flygon and Druddigon were engaged in an aerial game of tag above the stadium. Druddigon was trying to land a blow on Flygon but kept missing. Flygon hid a smirk as it soared on the winds to lift itself higher in the air when Druddigon flew at it with Dragon Claw. All of Red's fliers trained with Daimen on many occasions and learned to utilize air currents and winds to their advantage in arieal movements. And Flygon happens to be one of the best in Red's party.

Red shifted his glance from Lucario and Meowth's dueling to Flygon. So far, the plan to distract Druddigon so that Lucario can focus on Meowth was working. But he was right to expect Meowth to put up a fight before admitting defeat. Both Lucario and Meowth were panting hard and on their last legs.

"Thunderbolt, Meowth! Come on, you can do it!" Tyson encouraged the Meowth in Boots. With its trainer's encouragement and trust, Meowth summoned up the energy to charge up the attack. Electricity cracked around its body.

"Think you can use two more moves? Aura Sphere and Return?" Red asked his pokemon who dutifully nodded its head. "Alright, draw out Aura from me too if you have to. Just make sure that you block the Thunderbolt."

Mustering up aura from within itself, Lucario realized it had to draw out aura from its trainer as well. As it drew on Red's aura for the attack, Lucario smiled as it felt his trust, concern and love for it.

The trainers were tensed as they watched their respective pokemon finish charging up their moves. Up in the sky even Flygon and Druddigon were half heartedly chasing each other as they kept an eye on their partners though they did not interven without their trainers' orders.

A sweat formed on the brows of both trainers. It trailed down their faces and dripped down. The moment it hit the floor, Lucario and Meowth unleashed their attacks. Aura Sphere and Thunderbolt meeting head on. Everyone leaned forward in anticipation, wondering which attack will win out. But to the train eye of experienced trainers, they knew that neither attack will last.

The ensuring explosion created a massive shockwave that rocked the spectators and nearly blew the pokemon off their feet. Once it regained its balance, Lucario launched forward with its Return attack, knocking Meowth out.

"Meowth is unable to battle." The umpire declared.

Tyson pursed his lips as he recalled Meowth. By now, Druddigon and Flygon had landed back on the field. Lucario was panting heavily and could barely move. Analyzing Lucario's state, Red nodded at Flygon who nodded back. Not letting Druddigon a chance to land an attack on Lucario, Flygon swooped in and carried it back to Red's side of the field. After depositing it in a corner, Flygon turned back to its opponent with narrowed eyes. Until Lucario regained some strength, Flygon will suffice in battling Druddigon alone. Luckily, the Cave Pokemon was exhausted and moving slowly. During their aerial chase, Flygon's utilization of wind and air currents allowed it to conserve its energy.

"Kick up a Sandstorm!"

With strong flaps of its wings, sand, rocks and debris from earlier on kicked up and covered nearly the entire field with a Sandstorm.

"Stay calm Druddigon. Listen for Flygon's wings." Tyson called out normally.

Druddigon nodded and closed its eyes, ignoring the sound of the wind blowing, sand and debris flying and colliding, Lucario's panting…there, Flygon's wings beating. Druddigon cocked its head in Flygon's direction.

"Use Flash Cannon!"

Druddigon fired the move at Flygon's location and a grunt of pain can be heard in the sandstorm. Red narrowed his eyes as he watched Flygon shake off the effects of the Flash Cannon with his aura. The Flash Cannon was a surprise and he now knew that Druddigon knows where Flygon is in the sandstorm. Analysing Flygon, his eyes widened when he realized it was the beating of Flygon's wings that alerted Druddigon.

"Flygon!" He called to get its attention. He lowered his hand, knowing that Flygon can see the motion. He glanced at Lucario and saw that it was feeling better and it nodded back at him.

"Fire Aura Sphere at it to distract it."

Lucario closed its eyes and found Druddigon with its aura. It fired Aura Sphere at it continuously to get its attention and distract it so that Flygon can use Dig and get close enough to it without alerting it.

"Block the Aura Spheres and use Dragon Claw on Lucario!"

Druddigon's claws began to glow as it blocked the Aura Spheres while flying towards Lucario. It brought down its claws at Lucario but it rolled out of the way. The moment it touched the ground, Flygon burst out from the ground underneath it, taking it by surprise and lost balance.

"Flygon Use Dragon Tail!"

Flygon flipped in the air and slammed its tail down on its head. Druddigon collapsed and the referee make the call.

"Druddigon is unable to battle. Therefore, the victor of this battle is Champion Red!"

Red smirked and raised his fist in victory, making the cheers of the audience grow louder. He stepped on the field and clapped a hand on both his pokemon's shoulders.

"Thanks guys. You guys were awesome. Get some rest now." He said and recalled them. He turned to Tyson as he rubbed Druddigon's head and recalled it too. Red casually approached him and extended his hand. "Not many people can claim to keep up with my Pokemon in battle nor have the respect of the Elite Four and Champion of Heiwa. You're one of the rare trainers who has both."

"Thanks." Tyson shook his hand and smiled wrily. "I guess I have a long way to go before I can take on the Heiwa League."

"You have potential to make it to the Elite Four when you do. We'll be waiting for your challenge." Red smirked.

"And I won't lose." Tyson smirked back.

* * *

After getting his pokemon healed, Red had to run several errands for Arata and Mr. Goodshow before he flew back to the Heiwa League's penthouse and collapsed on the couch in the longue. "I. Am. Beat."

The Gym Leaders and Elite Four members present gave him sympathetic smiles. Reika hopped on the back of the couch for a seat. "Happens to all of his after Arata drags us into doing work after a major battle. This isn't the first time he did something like this."

Red sighed and tipped his head back with a groan. "Why must he be so workaholic during the tournament?"

"It's Arata we're talking about." Maya deadpanned from the dining table where she, Nick and Wataru were playing poker.

"Give him a break. He might be annoying for driving us to be workaholics like him, but we can't deny that his efforts pay off one way or another." Daimen shrugged.

Suddenly, Red lifted his head. "Speak of the devil…"

Arata made his appearance with several boxes of pizza. "I brought dinner!"

Everyone scrambled to their feet as the smell of fresh baked pizza wafted throughout the cave. Mouths watering, they quickly cleared up the dining table and dropped the earlier conversation. Arata might be strict and overbearing when it comes to work and training, but no one can say that he doesn't care for his friends, especially when it comes to their stomach.

"To everyone moving on to the 3rd round!" Red lifted his pizza slice. Everyone mimicked his action with similar cheers.

"It's a wonder that none of us have been paired up or matched up with other regional Champions for two rounds." Reika said as she munched down her slice.

"That might change in the next round." Red said and stood up. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "I know that we want to get to the victory rounds together but in the event that we don't, I just want to say right now that I don't care. As long as everyone gives their best and not go down without a fight, I'll still be proud of all of you."

"So will I." Arata raised his glass. Everyone exchanged smiles and raised their glasses.

As they were finishing up, Red's Xtransceiver beeped. Checking the messages, he grabbed the remote for the TV. "The next round's match ups are out!"

Everyone scrambled to grab a seat on the couch. Those who could not get one sat on the floor or stood around the couch. Seconds later, the listing of the remaining participants of the tournament was up along with a line across the screen, showing who their opponent was.

"I got Lana!" Red smiled, excited of getting the chance to battle the Akala Trial Captain again.

"Heh, I got Hala. Elite Four members give better challenges than Trial Captains." Arata smirked smugly at Red.

Muraku read through the listing once he found his opponent. He stilled when he noticed one of the match ups. "Red, Anabel is battling Mia tomorrow evening."

Red's eyes shot to the match up and frowned. "It's at the same time as Clemont's battle against Bruno."

Several of the winced at the line up, more towards the revelation of who Clemont's opponent is than about the timing.

"That is very complicated. You're going to have to choose whose battle you want to watch then."

"I'll make up my mind tomorrow." Red sighed.

"Oh no."

Everyone's eyes turned to Maddie whose wide eyes were staring at the screen. Arata followed his girlfriend's gaze and _almost_ felt sympathy for her opponent.

Red's mouth was in a thin line, but he gave Maddie a reassuring nod. "I'm not mad that you're battling her instead of me. I know that you can beat her."

Everyone in the room save Maddie nodded in agreement. Misty's fear of bugs was going to be her downfall in this tournament.

* * *

 _Meanwhile_

"I'm doomed."

Bonnie and Serena sweatdropped as Clemont kept muttering that under his breath. The poor inventor was pale and stiff as a board. He was not responding to either of the girls' efforts to snap him out of it. They had visited Bonjour Café for dinner on Bonnie's insistence and were in the middle of their meal when the announcement of the line ups showed up on the TV.

"Bad luck that big brother had to be matched up with one of the toughest Elite Four." Bonnie sighed in exasperation. Dedenne mimicked its trainer's sigh.

"Poor Clemont." Serena nodded in agreement. Analysing the match ups, Serena noted that Anabel's match is happening the same time as Clemont. "Bonnie, do you think Red would support Clemont or Anabel? Their matches are in the same time slot."

"Of course he will support Clemont." Bonnie stated matter of factly. "We all know that Red knows that Anabel can haddle herself, so it's logical that he'll come watch big brother's match to make sure he wins."

"You're right." Serena nodded, assuring herself that Red will not abandon their friend in his time of need. Cocking her head, she sweatdropped when she noticed that Clemont did not even react to their conversation. "I'm not sure if Clemont even heard all that."

Bonnie exchanged looks with Dedenne and a sly grin formed on their faces. "I know how to snap big brother out of his flunk."

"Oh Bonnie, no-!"

Dashing to the nearest girl, Bonnie got on her knees. "Will you be my brother's girlfriend?" She asked, much to the girl's bewilderment.

That did the trick and Clemont whipped his head at his sister's direction. He jumped and made a dash to get her away and avoid embarrassing him anymore. "BONNIE!"


End file.
